Young Wrecker
by GreyroseLegacy1
Summary: Halo Jyn was among the last few younglings to be created by the AllSpark before Cybertron went dark. Having been reunited with her brother-figure, Bulkhead, she knows that the future's finally starting to look up. But she also knows it holds trouble now that an old friend is here. [Bumblebee x OC]. Rated T because of fight scenes.
1. Chapter One : Home again

**_This story is about an Autobot called Halo Jyn or Haley for short, at least when she was a kid. She's part of the Wrecker Battalion, seen as a little sister to Bulkhead. She loves the Wreckers like family, and idolises Wheeljack as a role model._**

 ** _Even though she isn't the stubborn loose-cannon he is, Halo Jyn still isn't a stranger to battle, despite her young age (Cybertronian equivalent of being twenty-one years old)._**

 ** _FYI she also earns another name: Black Phoenix. You'll see why._**

 ** _This story begins in season two, after episode "Orion Pax: Part Three" and just before "Operation Bumblebee: Part One"._**

 **Chapter One: Home again**

Halo Jyn couldn't remember the last time she had refilled her energon supply. Sure, she had survived on what she'd had since her last battle, but it was getting lower by the second.

It had been centuries since she'd seen the Wreckers. Her family. Road-buster, Pyro, Impactor, Rotor-storm, Seaspray; all scattered to the stars.

Especially Wheeljack and Bulkhead. To her, Jackie was like the cooler big brother, teaching her how to fight, all the basic training techniques for if she ever found herself caught in the middle of battle.

Bulkhead was more like a protective older brother, always willing to fight for and defend her. Even they were gone.

Now Halo was alone. In the middle of the seemingly forever-ongoing pitch-black darkness that was her inability to see and the outer reaches of space. When the Wreckers had found her, she was still only a sparkling, the Cybertronian equivalent of a human new-born baby.

Now, she was a warrior. But it was no use being a warrior if you had no one to fight for.

She sat solar-cycle after solar-cycle in her small space ship, the Angel, wishing for some glimpse, some hope, some strand that could lead her back to her family.

That day was no different.

Halo had just landed on a red planet called Mars, where there was energon second to none, but still some shards. She couldn't very well take any with her because travelling with large supplies of energon on a small space ship like the Angel could've resulted in huge explosions, so she was forced to stay on the planet as she refuelled on energon.

She sighed as she sat in the seat of her space shuttle, "Computer, where are we?"

A beeping noise came before the computer responded, "Mars. Ahead is a planet named Earth."

 _Earth_ , Jyn thought, _Why is that so familiar?_

She thought back to centuries ago. The night Bulkhead left.

 _Wheeljack and Bulk had been fighting, very literally. Halo, or as they called her 'Haley' had been woken up by the sound of yelling and loud crashes and was now standing by the door, creaking it open slightly so that she could just about see in without letting anyone known she was there._

 _The young femme was only the equivalent of ten Earth years old, and was scared to death as to who would win the fight; Bulkhead was strong, but Wheeljack was fast. They were both incredibly thick-headed back then, so there was no telling how long the contest would go on for._

 _The youngling didn't want to lose either of her best friends. She had already lost her family; Her brothers and parents._

 _Pyro was trying to separate the two Wreckers, Rotor-storm was cheering them on. Seaspray, Impactor and Road-Buster were out on a mission. Finally, the two had calmed down. Wheeljack wiped leaking energon from his mouth as he stood up._

 _"What the Pit, Wheeljack?!" Bulkhead demanded, "All I said was I'm leaving with Optimus!"_

 _Jackie shook his head, in disbelief, "You don't see it do you? You ain't thinking 'bout anyone but yourself!"_

 _"Shhh!" Pyro scolded them, giving them both her piercing glare, "You two scrap-heads are gonna wake up Haley with that fragging fighting nonsense!"_

 _"You ain't thinking of Haley, Bulkhead!" Wheeljack pointed out, "You know how much she's lost already, 'cause of us. Do you really want to put her through that again?"_

 _"The mission is to Earth," he reminded him, "If there's nothing there, we're coming back within a month, four, tops. Haley 'll be fine 'til I get back."_

 _"Let 'im go, Jackie," Rotor-Storm told him, "The Wreckers don't need no deserters."_

 _"Hey, I'm not deserting anyone!" Bulkhead protested._

 _Rotor snorted in disbelief, "Puh-lease! If you're gonna leave then fine, but if you wanna lie about it I'll kick your sorry aft all the way to Kaon!"_

 _Haley pushed the door open to reveal her small, golden frame standing there, clutching a blanket in her other hand in her half-asleep daze. Her short, curled, silver metallic hair fell around her face._

 _Everyone turned towards her in surprise. Despite their reputations as being loud, irresponsible and tough, they all had a soft spot for the youngling ever since they had found her. Pyro was the first to step forward._

 _"Haley, sorry to wake you," She apologised._

 _Haley rubbed her optic to try to focus it more, "Why are Jackie and Bulk fighting? Are you leaving, Bulkhead? Who's Optimus?"_

 _Pyro, Rotor-Storm and Wheeljack all exchanges glances before turning to Bulkhead. The green mech sighed, realising that it was down to him to explain._

 _"Look...Haley," he began, but then paused as he looked into her optics._

 _Her innocent, bright, sky-blue optics._

 _She didn't deserve to be stuck in this war._

 _She didn't deserve for him to abandon her._

 _She was just a kid after all, barely a youngling._

 _He couldn't do it. Bulkhead couldn't just tell her that he was leaving for what could be longer than three months. The Wreckers might not have needed him, but Haley did._

 _Realisation suddenly struck her, "Tonight. You're going tonight, aren't you?"_

 _Bulkhead's gaze fell to the floor in guilt, "Haley...You should go back to bed."_

 _The little femme blinked back her energon tears, realising this would be the last time she would ever see Bulkhead. The one who she considered as an older brother._

 _"W-Will you tell me a bedtime story?" She begged, her voice breaking slightly, "Please?"_

 _The green mech planned on saying no. It would only make saying what could be goodbye even harder. But he knew she loved hearing his stories. He turned to Wheeljack, who nodded in approval._

 _"Sure," Bulkhead agreed._

 _He took her small hand and walked her back to her small room. Well, what qualified for a room. The Wreckers' base had limited resources, so what passed for a bed was a row of metal crates and a folded blanket for a pillow. Luckily, Haley wasn't picky about where she slept._

 _Bulkhead followed her into the room, pulled up a crate for a chair as she lay down on her bed and pulled the blanket over her._

 _Bulkhead sighed, "What story do you wanna hear tonight?"_

 _"A new one," Haley told him, "About no fighting."_

 _Bulk thought for a minute, but then nodded, "Ok, I have a story," He cleared his throat, "There was a little youngling, a femme. She was smart and, above all, brave, braver than the bravest warrior in the history of Cybertron."_

 _"She sounds like a Wrecker," Haley said, smiling._

 _"She was,"_ _Bulkhead smiled back and continued the story, "But she wasn't always that way. She'd grown up on the streets and built herself up from not a lot. that's where she learnt her most important lesson."_

 _"What? What was it?' the little femme asked._

 _Bulkhead replied, "That no matter who she was or where she came from, her family'd always be there for her. Remember that Haley; no matter how far away, you'll always be my little sis."_

 _"I'll remember, Bulk," Haley yawned as she started drifting off into sleep, "Bulkhead, where are you going?"_

 _Bulkhead sighed, regretting his decision already, "I'm going to Earth. It's a planet with smaller life forms that look like us."_

 _"Will you ever come back?"_

 _"I..." He wasn't sure what to say that would reassure her, "I promise you I'll come back, and to prove it..." He reached into the drawer next to her bed and took out a small chain necklace at the end was a hoop, "Remember why we called you Halo Jyn?"_

 _She nodded, "Because of the circle on the necklace I had looks like a halo."_

 _"And because we could only read half the message that was with you when we found you at Prax. It said your Carrier's name was Jyn," He placed the necklace in her servos, "I'm coming back for that, kiddo."_

 _"Bulkhead?" Haley said so softly it came out in more of a whisper, "Where will you be landing when you come back?"_

 _The Wrecker shrugged, "I can only guess, over near the Sea Of Rust. Just outside Iacon."_

 _Haley, who was already half-asleep, slowly shut down, closing her optics, "Be safe, big brother. I love you."_

 _He smiled softly; that was the first time she had ever called him brother._

 _Bulkhead sighed, letting go of her hand and walking out of the room. He closed the door lightly behind him. That was the last time she ever saw him._

Halo snapped out of her memory, blinking her optics to remind herself that she was still in the reality. She was still distances away from her family, from any survivors. She was still the femme who had lost her sight.

 _Earth,_ She thought, _Where Bulk said he was going for a few months._

Of course, that was eleven orns ago. A few months had turned into years and years into centuries. But here she was, presented with the possibility of finding her long lost friend. Maybe there was hope after all.

After an hour or so of refuelling her energon supplies, Halo practically jumped into the driver's seat, accelerating the space craft and heading straight towards Earth.

She clung to the ring necklace, praying for a miracle. Suddenly, an alarm started blaring from the main computer. She turned her head, recognising the sound as the communications link automatically activated itself.

Someone was trying to contact her.

An unfamiliar voice spoke, "Unknown Autobot ship, do you copy? I repeat, do you copy?"

She realised she should answer before they thought the ship was abandoned, "I copy."

"Please identify yourself," the voice instructed.

"My designation is Halo Jyn," She replied, hoping that these weren't Decepticons.

The mech took some time to reply, "Of the Wrecker Battalion?"

"Um...Yes," She said, wondering how he knew who she was, "Can I ask who this is?"

From the other side came a lot of talking and a loud crashing noise, like someone had been pushed to the side.

"Haley?" A different voice spoke.

Halo's spark almost stopped, "B-B-Bulkhead? Bulkhead is that really you?"

"It's me Haley," The green mech replied, "Primus kid, where 've you been for the past few centuries?"

"Uh...You know, around the galaxy," she lied, "Where are you anyways?"

Another different voice came from the other side, "Halo Jyn, as our base is hidden from the Decepticons, it would stand to reason that you land further away, that we may maintain the secret location of our base."

"Got it, sir, whose name I'm unsure of," She replied. "On that note, who is this?"

"My name is Optimus Prime," She froze at his words, "What is your current position?"

She quickly scanned the database, still having a hard time believing that she was talking to the last of the Primes.

"My position is currently six-hundred and seventy-four miles off of the coast of a place known as California." Halo finally responded.

 **Autobot base...**

Bulkhead was almost exploding with excitement. Arcee smirked. She hadn't seen him this happy since...well, ever. He was always talking about Halo and how adorable she was as a youngling.

Bumblebee was currently picking up the kids from school.

Ratchet, still annoyed from being interrupted in the first attempt to communicate with Halo, muttered quietly to himself as Optimus informed the young femme of where to land.

"It would be wise for you to land at the mountainside, away from any civilisation," Prime told her.

"Sure thing, sir," the femme said, "Camouflage tech is activated and I should arrive there in about twenty Earth minutes."

"Be on the look out for 'Cons, Haley," Bulkhead warned her.

"You know it, Bulk," She replied, "Halo Jyn, out."

As she cut off the communication link, Bulkhead finally let himself express how happy he was.

"Can you guys believe it?" He exclaimed, "After all these centuries, Haley's coming to join the party."

 **Aboard the Decepticon warship...**

Soundwave walked towards Megatron, eager to tell him of his recent discovery, or maybe he couldn't care less. Who could possibly tell when the mech didn't have a face?

Anyway, he approached the Decepticon leader, his face (If you could call a screen that) showed a map of the earth city known as L.A. in California. A blue signal moved across it.

"Soundwave, what information have you brought me today?" The Decepticon leader asked. Soundwave zoomed in on the signal as a plotting grin appeared on Megatron's face plating, "Ah, so a new Autobot is seeking refuge on Earth. Perhaps we should welcome them with the appropriate greeting. Dispatch the troops."

Soundwave nodded, sending out a signal to the recovery team to fly to the site of Prime's latest recruit. That 'bot would regret ever hearing the name 'Optimus Prime'.

 **Back to Halo...**

Halo Jyn leaned back in her chair in relief as she signed off of the comm system. She couldn't believe it. She was only minutes away from being reunited with her dear friend and brother-figure.

But her happiness soon turned to worry. What if he had changed? What if he didn't like that _she_ had changed. What if he treated her differently because of what had happened to her?

She let out a deep sigh; Pity was the last thing she needed. She was a different femme now. Not the scared little youngling who couldn't defend herself that she had been before.

She had been forced to grow up.

She wasn't 'Haley' anymore: she was Halo Jyn.

Not to mention the fact that she had lost one of her senses. The femme Wrecker put her hands over her face.

"This is gonna be a long day," She murmured quietly to herself.

Twenty minutes later and she had reached a desolate part of the California mountains. It was a fairly quiet flight aside from having to activate her cloaking technology as she went over the city known as L.A.

 _Time to land_ , She thought, mentally staying the obvious.

Suddenly, Halo sensed something was approaching, and it was approaching fast. From outside her small space shuttle, the femme Wrecker could hear the sound of energon blasts firing. She sighed.

"Cons" she cursed under her breath, "I'm getting tired of this scrap."

Able to predict where the blasts were going, she swerved the ship, manoeuvring around the fire. This was not how she envisioned arriving on Earth. One of the 'Con drones managed to get a lucky shot, penetrating the ship's shielding.

Scrap! Halo mentally cursed as her ship began to fail it's altitude.

She began to plummet to the ground, barely able to miss the trees as she scraped their branches and leaving a trail of cloudy-grey smoke. The drones followed her, right on her tail and not ceasing to shoot at her.

Up ahead, the shuttle's sensors detected a cleared field on the side of one of the mountains. As far as she could tell, there were no life forms in danger.

"Only one way out," She realised, diving into the green clearing.

Needless to say, the impact of the ground came like a boulder, except the boulder was Earth.

As soon as the Angel hit the ground, Halo almost collapsed from the impact. It went on to scrape the ground for a long time, no doubt creating a small canyon in the dirt, causing stray clumps of grass and mud to fly in several directions.

Finally, the ship skidded to a painful-sounding halt, at last, allowing the femme to exhale. Most 'bots would've been a little rattled by the impact, but Halo was tougher to scrap than most 'bots.

Knowing what would be waiting for her outside, Jyn grabbed her weapon; A steel staff about half her size. But, like Halo, there was more to the staff than met the optics.

Confidently, she walked out of the ship, sensing the Vehicon troops surrounding her. She smirked.

"Kay, boys," She spoke oddly calm, "If you back off, leave now and promise not to come near me again, I'll let 'cha live."

She heard a flurry of laughs and mocking tones, "And if we choose not to, Autobot scum?"

She sighed, "I'll be forced to resort to a more...alternative way of getting you to leave. So what's it gonna be?"

She heard them draw their weapons, able to sense their guns click. It was true what they said; losing one sense did heighten the others. She was finding that to be a good advantage in battle.

"Get scrapped, Wrecker!" Another Vehicon cursed her.

Halo subtly pressed a switch on her staff, causing it to transform into a beautiful golden bow that matched her frame with a silver streak across it. From the quiver mounted on her back, she drew a silver arrow.

She was hoping to avoid this at any other solution, "The hard way it is then."

 **Autobot Base...**

"Trust me, Miko, you and Haley are like the same person," Bulkhead told his charge, "You're gonna love her. And tonight, we're partying; Wrecker style."

"Sweet!" Miko exclaimed.

Arcee turned to Bumblebee, smirking, "Hope you've practised dancing 'the robot' again."

Miko, Jack and Raf had just arrived at Base, currently watching TV as they anticipated the arrival of the new Autobot. Obviously, Miko was way more excited than the two boys.

She gasped, "Think she'll stay? Does this mean a new human 's coming to the base?"

Ratchet scoffed, "Puh-lease! I hardly think I could condone nor survive having another primitive, fleshy, annoying life form constantly distracting and disrupting my work!"

That snide remark earned him a disagreeing comment from Bumblebee and a glare from Arcee that bordered along vicious, causing him to shudder and quickly go back to his work. Mech, if looks could kill...

Suddenly, a beeping noise came from the computer.

"Hello Autobot Base? Come in, Autobot Base," Halo's voice echoed through the comm link.

"Halo Jyn, we copy," Ratchet replied, "Are you at the coordinates?"

She paused, "Yes...but so are Decepticons. There's sort of a situa-"

Halo was momentarily cut off as she stopped in what the Autobots could only assume to be fighting back against an unwelcome party. The slashing of swords, hailing of gunfire and screams from struggle came from the other line.

"Haley?" Bulkhead helped into the comm link, "Haley, answer me!"

No reply came from the other side, just what sounded like blasts firing and several yells of pain before the line went static.

"Ratch, bridge us there," Bulkhead ordered with a dead-serious tone not even Miko had heard him use before.

The medic immediately listened, typing in the coordinates and pulling the lever to the ground bridge. Bulkhead, not even hesitating or waiting for the team, transformed, charging through the portal at high speed.

Knowing he couldn't be stopped, the team followed as fast as they could behind him.

They broke out of the ground bridge, expecting to find the femme captured or begging for help. Instead, they saw what could only be described as being the complete opposite. Halo was there, but...she was kicking more tailpipe than Dominic Torretto in Fast And Furious.

One of the 'cons grabbed her from behind. As Bulkhead moved to free her from the con, she stomped onto their foot, grabbed their arm and flung them into a group of three others. Then she heard guns clicking from in front of her.

She drew four arrows from her quiver, aiming straight at each of the four Decepticons. Needless to say, each of their sparks met one of the arrows as Halo fired, piercing through their armours like they were rubber.

Bulkhead, Arcee and Bumblebee looked on, confused and not entirely sure if they should help or not. When they finally caught up with what was going on, there were no Vehicons left to fight. The ones smart enough to know when they were beaten flew off back to the Nemesis as Halo withdrew her bow.

"Thanks for the back up," She remarked sarcastically, turning around towards the group and removing her golden battle helmet.

During the battle, she had been moving so fast she was just a streak of silver and gold. Now that she was in the light, it was easier for the group to see her.

Her frame was golden-yellow with silver on her shoulders, knees and one of her hands. Long, silvery-white metallic hair flowed from her helm to the centre of her back.

She was a little shorter than Arcee, but only by a metre or so. She wore a silver visor, which more resembled goggles from a science classroom, that blocked any possible way of seeing her optics.

Bumblebee's optics widened. He knew that visor. Before he could speak, Bulkhead rushed forward, embracing Halo in a bear-hug. The poor femme gasped for air, smiling as the green mech set her down and turned to her.

"Whoa, kid! Look at you! The last time I saw you, you were this big," He held has hand out showing how tall she used to be; about a quarter of the height she was now, "How long's it been? Six, seven orns?"

Halo shrugged, "Erm, eleven actually, you know, give or take a few cycles. How've you been?"

"Better, now that you're here to even the odds," He replied, putting one arm around her shoulder and turning to face the group. He gestured to the two other Autobots, "Haley, meet Arcee and Bumblebee. Bumblebee, Arcee, meet Halo Jyn."

Arcee stayed with her arms folded, slightly annoyed at Halo's sarcastic comment, "You could be grateful we found you, you know."

"Well, firstly, it's nice to meet you too," Halo replied, "Secondly, it was just a joke."

The blue and pink femme raised an optic ridge, about to retort, but kept her mouth shut.

Bumblebee didn't speak. He just stared at her, a quizzical look plastered on his face plates. Despite her lack of vision, Halo could tell when someone was looking at her. But the femme Wrecker kept her denta closed.

 _"Nice to meet you Halo Jyn,"_ The yellow and black-striped mech finally spoke. He extended his arm as they shook servos, _"Have we...met before?"_

She smiled, jokingly, "Not the most original line I've heard from a mech."

The scout's optics widened. If he were a human he would've been blushing, _"No...I mean, I didn't...I wouldn't...I mean, I would-Wait, I wouldn't-No, I mean-"_

"Relax," She laughed, putting her servos in the air in an attempt to stop him from talking, "Just kidding. As far as your question goes, sorry, I don't recognise you."

The poor mech sighed in relief, allowing for a small smile to tug at the corner of his mouth, not that anyone could see it under his battle-mask. Arcee tried to stop herself from smirking knowingly at their conversation.

Bulkhead, who had been slightly lost at the exchange, stepped in, "Hey, maybe we should head back to Base before the 'cons' back-up arrives. Haley, trust me, you're gonna love Earth. Oh, and I can't wait for you and Miko to meet!"

Arcee subtly whispered to Bumblebee, "Primus help us when those two get together."

"Aw, c'mon, Arcee. I'm not that bad," Halo said, much to Arcee's surprise. Halo laughed lightly, "Yes, I heard you."

Ignoring the femme's comment, Arcee called Ratchet, "Hey, Ratchet, you and the kids better get ready," She glanced at Halo, "There's a another Wheeljack coming our way."

Halo could've sworn she heard a disappointed sigh coming from the other side of the line and what sounded like a femme cheering in the background.

 **For the record, I'm not continuing with Out of the Shadows, but this is one I won't give up so easily.**

 **I'll give you an idea of what's to come:**

 **\- Lies**

 **\- Forgiveness**

 **\- Drama**

 **\- War**

 **\- Regret**

 **\- Love**

 **'Cause why not?**

 **Until all are one,**

 **GreyroseLegacy**


	2. Chapter Two : The not-a-date date

**Figured I should get moving on the story so here's chapter two.** **Quick thanks to AllSpark Princess and katogod1. Also to Guest reviewer: I'm glad someone got Halo's name.** **Cheers, guys.**

 **Chapter Two: The not-a-date** **date**

Humans were loud.

Humans were loud and played booming rock music.

Humans were loud and played booming rock music and talked so fast that their words blurred together like an entire paragraph was just one word.

These are the things that Halo learned as soon as she stepped foot in the base. Oddly enough, all of the above qualities appealed to the femme.

Literally the moment she walked through the portal, Miko came running up to her, having already prepared a ton of questions and making it difficult for her femme to walk for fear of stepping on the small human girl.

"What's your story, HJ?" Miko asked, apparently deciding to assign a nickname the her, "Where you from? How old are you? Are you a Decepticon spy? What does that stick-weapon-thing do? Have you smashed more 'cons than Bulkhead? Ever use a construction crane for a baseball bat?"

Jack quickly intervened, "C'mon Miko. Don't confuse her."

"Nah, it's fine," Halo shrugged, "Well I grew up with the Wreckers. I'm from Prax originally. I'm twenty-one orns old. I am not, nor have I ever been, nor do I ever intend to be a Decepticon spy. This stick-weapon-thing has five alt modes in total, including a bow, sword, two katanas, it's current mode and a blaster. To this day, I haven't met any 'bots who've crushed more 'cons than Bulk. And finally, what's baseball?" She could literally feel everyone staring at her, "What did I say?"

"Nothing. Everyone is merely in shock at your ability to comprehend Miko's senseless jibber-jabber," Ratchet explained, not taking his optics off of the screen.

"Watch it, Ratchet," Miko warned, shooting a glare at him.

HJ smirked, "Well, 'senseless jibber-jabber' makes sense to me."

Miko smiled approvingly up at the femme. From behind her, Halo sensed heavy footsteps coming from the entrance of the base, turning her head instinctively towards the origin of the sound. She realised it was a mech, taller than the others. Not many mechs were that tall, so, unless it was Megatron, it had to be-

"Optimus Prime?" She guessed, saluting him. She hadn't learnt much during her time in the war, but if anything it was to respect the boss bot, "It's an honour to meet you, sir."

"At ease soldier," Optimus replied in a deep, sonorous voice like a robot James Earl Jones, "And the honour is mine to meet the youngling Bulkhead talked so frequently about." He paused, glancing at her visor, "Do you wish to not remove your visor?"

Halo adjusted her visor, in a poorly-considered attempt to draw attention away from them, "Uh, yeah. It-it isn't a fashion statement. Lost my sight, a while back now."

"Wait, what do you mean you lost your sight?" Bulkhead asked in disbelief.

Jyn shrugged, "During a battle. Decepticon fired, got a lucky shot and knocked me out. When I woke up, I was in the triage, with this," She gestured to her visor, "Docs said I'd never see again."

The entire room fell silent at her last sentence. Even Miko kept her mouth shut.

The golden femme Wrecker bit her tongue. She knew lying was wrong, but like she had thought earlier, the last thing she needed was pity. And technically it wasn't lying, it just...wasn't telling them the whole truth.

"But, how'd you take out those 'cons back there?" Arcee asked.

Halo folded her arms defensively, "Last I checked, I had four other senses. I learnt to live like this ages ago. I rely on sound and instinct when it comes to fighting."

Arcee resumed glaring at the femme's recurring sarcasm. She was really starting to get on the two-wheeler's nerves. Bulkhead may not have been good at reading facial expressions, but even he knew when Arcee didn't want to be crossed - which was all the time.

"Hey, uh, speaking of sound, Haley you got to show us your singing later on," Bulkhead said, placing a servo on her shoulder.

Halo hesitated, "Singing? No way, Bulk. I haven't sung for...I don't know how long."

"Foremost, it would be wise to become more familiar with your new surroundings," Optimus interjected, "A tour of the base would be a good start."

"Dibs!" Miko yelled, jumping down from her place on the metal platform and running next to Jyn, "I have way more questions to ask you anyways."

The femme shrugged, "Sure, why not? We're already through the looking glass anyway."

"Hey," Bulkhead said as they made their way to the exit, "Be back soon so we can get you a vehicle mode."

"Got it," Halo replied.

Miko led the way as they headed to one of the exits from the main room to the hallways, "What was Bulkhead like before coming to Earth? What's Prax like? How many battles have you fought in? What kind of music do you like? When did..."

Her voice trailed off as they disappeared behind a corner.

Bulkhead continued to stare after them, obviously deep in thought.

"Is something wrong, Bulkhead?" Optimus asked.

The green mech shook himself more awake, "Uh, yeah. Just...weird seeing Halo now. The last time I saw her, she was ten orns old. Even seeing her out in that battle field, fighting the 'cons..."

"It's understandable, Bulk," Arcee stepped forward, "You haven't seen each other for centuries. She's grown up now."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Bulkhead glanced down the hallway that Miko and the femme had gone down, "But, her sight...if I was there-"

"Bulkhead, don't blame yourself," Arcee told him, "No one can change the past."

Halo was a different 'bot, he knew he had to accept that. Whether he would accept that was a different matter altogether.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Meanwhile, Miko was asking Halo Jyn so many questions it would have shocked anyone that the femme wasn't confused out of her processor. They had been gone for about half an hour and had only gone through a quarter of the base.

"So, HJ," Miko began as they walked down the hallway, "Which battles you fought in?"

Halo thought for a minute, "In order? Um...Sea Of Rust, first battle of Iacon, Nyx, Akalai...Tyger Pax, second and final battles of Iacon, the storm of the Darkmount IV and...Prax. Those are just the ones people have heard of."

"Whoa...Which had the most 'cons crushed?"

"Hm. Probably Tyger Pax, but that was the battle I...that was a dark day."

Miko stopped a little way ahead of her, turning back to face Halo, "What happened?" Halo didn't respond, "That bad, huh?"

Jyn sighed, "Miko...let's just talk about something else, ok? Whoa!"

She exclaimed as her leg met a solid surface, causing her to trip. The femme pushed herself off of the ground, turning around wondering what she had fallen over.

"What the...?"

"Oops! Sorry HJ," Miko apologised running up to the femme, "Should 'a told ya about that. You good?"

The Wrecker nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine, but what was that?"

Miko shrugged, "Just a broken wall from where Ratchet slammed Bulkhead through from the training room into the hallway."

"The medic dude?" Halo questioned, "I know he's a little like a turbo-fox who got his food stolen by a Predacon-" Miko looked at her with a blank expression, "-but I didn't think the doc was the kind to challenge a mech as strong as Bulk to a sparring match."

"In all fairness, it's not Ratch's fault, he was on synth-en and boy did that have interesting side-effects," Miko laughed, "You should've seen Arcee's reaction when he tried to flirt with her. That was a pic worth snapping."

Halo raised an optic ridge as she got off of the ground, brushing her hair out of the way of her face as she did so, "Yeeeaaah, I don't think me and her are gonna get along so well."

"Meh, don't take it personally," Miko said, continuing to lead down the hallway, "To this day, she still holds a grudge against me for accidentally getting Raf, Jack and me trapped in the Shadow-Zone. And for the time when I talked about Zombie-Cons after Cliffjumper was brought back to life with dark energon. And when I snuck through the ground bridge when she was fighting Airachnid and Bulkhead was crushing Breakdown."

"Wow, I really have missed all of the action while I was floating around in space, huh?"

"You don't know the half of it."

Halo smirked as they continued down the hallway, "So, Breakdown's here?"

"Yup. But don't worry, Bulkhead totally won the rematch."

"Good to hear. That 'con is seriously evil," She slowed her pace a little sensing Miko glance up at her, "We...had a little 'run-in', a while back now, but that's not important." She quickly changed the subject, "So, Bulk said something about a vehicle mode. What's that?"

"Do you like travelling really, really fast?" The girl asked. Jyn nodded. Miko took on a mischievous grin, "Oh, man. You're gonna love dune-bashing."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"They've been gone for a long time, haven't they?" Bulkhead wondered aloud, his optics constantly shifting from one entrance to another, "You don't think-"

"Bulkhead!" Arcee snapped, "For the last time, Halo Jyn isn't Makeshift! Wheeljack blew him and an entire fleet of 'cons sky-high."

The green off-roader sighed, "I just don't want the two of them to not get along. Haley's my best friend and Miko's my best friend. How'd you feel having to pick between Bumblebee and Jack?"

Arcee thought on what he said for a minute. She didn't ever plan to admit that she cared more for the young scout than she let on. Bee was like a little brother to her, but so was Jack. And Jack risked his life to save Optimus, but so had Bumblebee.

Bumblebee and her had known each other since before Tyger Pax, all the way back to the training academy. He was such a sweet little mech, even though she had even been one of the older Cybertronians that used to pick on him.

Thank Primus, Bumblebee was on a mission with Optimus and Ratchet so he didn't hear the discussion. Jack, although at the base, didn't so much as look up from his car-racing marathon Raf had challenged him to.

The two-wheeler rolled her optics, "Fine, I guess it would be hard to pick, but that isn't my point. Think of it this way: No one, not even Makeshift, could possibly make up a character so stubborn, childish and irritatingly-sarcastic as Halo Jyn."

Bulkhead's optics widened as light metal footsteps entered the room. Raf, Jack and the green mech were all staring behind where Arcee stood.

"Oh, really?" an irritated-sounding voice said from behind her.

The realisation struck her. The team could almost hear her thinking 'Oh, scrap'. She slowly turned around, praying it wasn't who she thought it was. Her prayers were useless.

Sure enough, the pink-haired Miko stood, arms crossed, on the ground, glaring up at the blue motorcycle. Next to her, Halo, hands on her hips. She might have glared if she had the means of doing so, but it wasn't hard for any of them to tell that she wasn't happy.

"Halo, I-uh," Arcee stuttered, for the first time in her life, stuck for what to say, "I didn't mean-"

The gold femme held up her hand to silence the motorbike from talking, "Didn't mean what? That I was 'stubborn'? That I was 'childish'? Or that I was 'irritatingly-sarcastic'?"

"Come on, I wasn't being serious. I was just joking," Arcee tried to excuse her behaviour, crashing and burning horribly

"No, what I do is 'just joking'. What you did was decide you don't like me after knowing me for less then two hours," Halo shot back.

The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a sword. Arcee wasn't denying it, nor was she aware of any appropriate response she could say, at least not in front of the children. Halo spun around on her heel and stormed towards nearest exit.

"Haley?" Bulkhead stepped forward, "Where're you going?"

"To find a V-mode so I don't end up sayin' something I'll regret," She told him, a sharp tone in her voice. She didn't stop walking, "Don't worry, Miko told me about the whole 'Robots in Disguise' deal. I'll keep a low profile."

Before he could say any other reasons why she couldn't go it on her own, Jyn sprinted towards the exit, running out of the base at high speed.

As soon as she was outside, she paused momentarily, breathing a sigh of relief. Making a mental note of where the base was, Halo decided to go through the desert for a while.

"That's right, Halo," The femme self-loathed, "Make yourself seem like a complete jerk. That'll make 'em like you."

Unsure of how far she had gone, HJ scanned her surroundings (using sonar-like abilities). To the east, he way she had come, was the base. To the west was a town called Jasper. South and north was basically endless desert land. Jasper was teaming with humans so that was a no.

She wasn't up to going to base yet, especially with Arcee there, constantly glaring at her, and Bulkhead asking if she was OK. She knew the big guy meant well, but she just preferred to keep to herself when she was upset. Especially after Tyger Pax.

That mech, Bumblebee.

It couldn't be the same scout...right? A lot of mechs had names that sounded like Bumblebee...didn't they?

Don't be stupid, Halo sighed.

It was the same mech. Scrap, what would be his reaction if he found out who she was? How she'd failed him? Halo hated herself for having to lie to so many people in one day, or any day, but there were some things from her past that she would've rather kept in the past.

She shuddered at the mere thought of Tyger Pax, attempting to shake off the trauma.

That last time they spoke:

 _"Nightbreak, run! I'll hold them off!"_ _"Don't try to be a hero, Bumblebee. We fight together."_ _"But, Night-"_ _"No. I didn't leave you back there and don't think I plan to now."_

Nightbreak; her code-name for during the war while it was still on Cybertron. No wonder Bumblebee didn't recognise her; she had had a dark blue and silver frame then.

That mech. He was the kind that came once in a lifetime; selfless, brave, willing to sacrifice himself...for her. Maybe if she had listened, he would still be able to talk...

The femme shook the thought out of her head, Stop it. What's done is done. You can't worry about the past.

 **Meanwhile at the Autobot Base...**

" _And I was like 'Later Mega-aft!', and he was like 'What?'"_ The yellow and black Camaro spoke so fast it was hard for the team to understand him.

He used Raf's toy car to show how he escaped the 'con leader, _"And then I broke out to the other side of the 'con's ground bridge and spun 'round in a loop-de-loop and Optimus and Ratchet were telling me to hurry and we drove through our Ground Bridge, leaving Megatron to pointlessly yell 'Nooooo!'."_

Arcee smirked at him as he handed Raf the car back, "Loop-de-loop, huh?"

 _"Yeah, it was awesome!"_ The Camaro said excitedly.

"You have some brass bearings, Bumblebee!" Bulkhead said, patting him on the back.

The scout grinned proudly under his battle-mask. It wasn't everyday he got to see the look on ol' Bucket-head's face when he got beaten by some bot considered significantly less powerful than he was. That'll teach that old mech to mess with him.

"Optimus, here," Ratchet pointed at the screen of the computer scanner, "The source of the ancient frequency we detected."

"An Iacon homing beacon," Optimus stated.

"What's an Autobot locator doing on that?" Arcee asked as they walked over to them.

"The class 'A' Decepticon weapons confiscated during the war were sealed in the vaults below Iacon," OP explained.

"Where you once worked as an archivist," said Bulkhead.

"Iacon was both a cultural centre and a stronghold," He replied, "Which Megatron raided when Autobot troops were at their nadir. It stands to reason that, in anticipation of Iacon being overrun by enemy forces, these weapons were jettisoned off-world, to keep them far from Decepticon reach."

"Clearly, the beacons were added as a safety measure," Ratchet informed them, "Should the weapons ever be found by the undesired party."

Bulkhead patted Bumblebee on the back, "Well, thanks to our hotshot stunt driver, this one's going in our vault."

Arcee suddenly looked very seriously at Optimus, "Do you think this is the only intel you supplied to Megatron?"

"Arcee, you are right to ask," Optimus replied, ashamed, "And I am afraid I...do not remember."

"Optimus, Megatron clearly took advantage of your amnesia," The medic said, attempting to comfort his friend, "But for all we know the Spark-Extractor is the extent of it. Have you stopped and considered that he may have suggested otherwise merely to plague your thoughts?"

The Autobot leader didn't look like he believed it, but still nodded in recognition of Ratchet's theory, "While this is likely, we cannot underestimate the amount of information Megatron may or may not have at his disposal, nor can we assume that this relic is the only he has located."

On that last note, the Autobot leader made his way to the exit, transforming into his semi-truck mode as he left, leaving behind a confused group of Autobots.

Five minutes or so had passed when from the entrance of the Autobot Base came the roar of a motorcycle engine.

As if by instinct, Arcee, Ratchet, Bulkhead and Bumblebee turned their heads to see a motorcycle roll into the main room. A Suzuki Hayabusa GSX 1300R. Mainly glistening gold, but with a swirling silver 'S' on each side.

The bike transformed to reveal none other than Halo Jyn, who appeared slightly nervous as she stood up properly. Sensing who was in the main room, she cautiously approached Arcee, who herself was confused.

Halo sighed as she stopped a safe distance away from the blue two-wheeler, shifting her feet nervously, "Um...Arcee, listen...I know I'm...hard to get along with. And I-I'm sorry for over-reacting earlier-"

"No, I...shouldn't have been so quick to judge you," Arcee admitted.

The golden femme shrugged, "Either way, I shouldn't have yelled."

Arcee smirked, "Consider it forgotten."

Bumblebee looked quizzically between the two femmes, _"Uh...Did I miss something?"_

"You don't know the half of it, Bee," Raf smiled up at his guardian.

Bulkhead glanced at Halo, "Does this mean everyone's gonna get along now?"

Halo shrugged, "Don't see why not."

"I do," Ratchet's voice came from the other side of the room as everyone turned to look at him, "Carelessly break any of my equipment like Bulkhead does and you'll see Angry Medic."

Even Arcee looked scared after hearing those words. Ratchet, knowing he had threatened the team enough for now, triumphantly turned around and went back to working on the latest Iacon relic decoding.

"On that note, I'm going on patrol," Arcee made her way towards the door, transforming and driving out.

Bulkhead's optics darted from Ratchet to the door.

He patted Halo on the shoulder before transforming, "See ya, Haley." He called after Arcee, "Wait up!"

Halo turned to Bumblebee, "Is the Doc Bot really that bad?" She whispered.

Bumblebee, not taking his optics off of the medic, spoke in a lower volume, _"Oh, trust me, he can be a temperamental Hatchet."_

"What was that Bumblebee?" Ratchet suddenly asked, startling the young scout.

 _"Oh, uh, I said..."_ Bumblebee began, trying to form an excuse.

"Bumblebee told me that I shouldn't play 'instrumental racket'," Halo interjected.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge, but went back to his work. Although not visible since his mouth was blocked by his battle-mask, the scout smiled thankfully at Halo, who returned the expression with a playful smirk.

"When you two are done conspiring against my request for sanity, you need to go out on patrol, Bumblebee," The medic said, catching the two by surprise.

 _"You got it, Ratch,"_ He began to make his way over to the door before turning back to look at Halo, _"Do you wanna - I don't know...come along too?"_

Halo smiled at the yellow and black mech and shrugged, trying to hide her joy, "Sounds better than what I was going to do."

The scout raised and optic ridge as they walked towards the exit, _"What were you going to do?"_

"Basketball lobbing, one on none," The golden femme explained before transforming and driving through the door, calling back to him, "Race ya!"

He smiled under his battle-mask, following in suite, _"Hey! False start!"_

The Camaro left a trail of smoke behind him, that and a room full of confused faces (minus Ratchet, who was too busy to care about the scout and the Wrecker going on patrol together). It was almost completely quiet except for the beeping of buttons on the main computer.

"What...just happened?" Raf asked.

Jack shared his confusion, "Did Bee and Halo just...?"

"Bumblebee totally just asked HJ out and she totally just said yes!" Miko exclaimed.

Ratchet snorted derivatively, "Puh-lease! They've known each other for less than a day."

"So?" Miko shrugged.

"Bumblebee has never 'asked out' anyone before."

"So?"

Ratchet was struggling to come up with another reason, "Well...he didn't ask her on a 'date'. He asked if she wanted to go on patrol with him, which she then answered with 'yes'."

"Whatevs. I'm counting it. They're officially on a date," Miko grinned, "I can't wait to tell Bulkhead!"

Raf shook his head, "I-It doesn't mean they're on a date. It just means that...that they enjoy each other's company."

Jack awkwardly scratched the back of his head, "Sure, Raf. Sure...

 **Three guesses what (or who) is going to interrupt their not-a-date date.**

 **This could carry on for a while, so I gotta ask: Ready to be in for the long run?**

 **One thing you gotta know about me is that I don't give up. And I'm not giving up on this story, even if no one favourites or reviews it.**

 **Until all are one,**

 **GreyroseLegacy**


	3. Chapter Three: MECH who?

**Halo's story has actually gotten a better reception than I thought it would.** **Just wanted to say thanks for if you've favourited and/or are following this** **story.**

 **I've watched 'Operation Bumblebee' parts one and two _so_ many times, so I really want to get this part right.** **Spoiler: the end scene of part one in this chapter is my favourite action scene.**

 **Also, regarding the comment about italicising the flashback scenes, I appreciate your taking the time to review the story, but I just think that it makes it easier to differentiate the non-present scenes from the present ones.**

 **Enjoy chapter three :-)**

 **Chapter Three: MECH who?**

A certain yellow, black-striped Camaro drove alongside the golden and silver motorcycle as they sped across the vast desert.

Normally, Halo would've kept to herself. She wasn't one for making friends and anytime mechs had tried to talk to her, the conversation always ended with her having to scare them into backing off. But she knew that Bumblebee wasn't like that.

Now they were here, on Earth, together. He seemed so different than he was when they had last met.

 _"So, what's the deal with that visor?"_ Bumblebee wondered, suddenly taking Halo by surprise.

"Wh-What do you mean?" She asked innocently, "I already told you guys what happened."

 _"Halo, I know when someone's hiding something_. _And_ _I know that's the result of more than just a cannon blast."_

She sighed, realising it was futile to try to lie to the scout, "Ok. But...swear to me you won't tell Bulkhead."

 _"I promise."_

Inhaling a deep breath, she began to tell him what happened, "I got captured...by Shockwave. Apparently he was studying how to regenerate senses and develop prosthetics for Decepticons injured in battle, because he destroyed my ability to see. I was experimented on for two and a half orns before Autobot troops managed to storm the base. I got rescued but I knew I'd never get my sight back."

Bumblebee stayed quiet for a while as they continued to drive, contemplating everything she had just told him and regretting that he'd made her.

 _"Halo...I'm so-"_

Suddenly, Halo skidded to an abrupt halt.

"Don't even think about doing that," She told him.

He swerved around and drove back to her, _"What did I do?"_

"Apologising means sadness, sadness means pity, pity means being treated like there's something wrong with you for the rest of your life.The last thing I need is to be seen as the poor, weak femme who can't defend herself."

Bumblebee paused before speaking again, _"You know how I lost my voice?"_

She froze slightly, but tried to not be obvious, "No."

 _"Tyger Pax. I wouldn't give up anything so Megatron tore out my voice box and left me for scrap. Thank Primus, Autobot troops managed to find me and get me back to Ratchet before I..."_ He trailed off a bit, but carried on, _"For a while after that, people looked at me with pity. It got so irritating when they'd still do that for orns after it happened. So I ignored it."_

"That's it? You just ignored it?" Halo questioned.

 _"There'll always be people who feel sorry for bots like us,"_ Bumblebee explained, _"You can either let what they think stop you or you can prove then wrong."_

She smiled inwardly at he scout's kindness, "I...guess you're right."

He was so much more understanding than she was. Halo felt lucky to have a friend like him. Wait – she _never_ had friends.

 _"C'mon, I don't know about you, but I don't want to hear Ratchet's lecture on finishing patrol when we get back,"_ Bumblebee joked, turning his vehicle form around before yelling, _"Race you to the next mile marker!"_

He punched he acceleration and sped ahead of her.

She smirked to herself before following at a faster pace, "If you don't mind being beaten again!"

Before they could get very far, a beeping noise came from each of their computer processors. Halo slowed her pace to drive alongside Bumblebee.

 _"Bulkhead, just got a reading,"_ Bumblebee spoke through the com-link.

"Yeah, I just picked up the same signal," The green mech replied, "Could be another homing beacon. Let's rendezvous at the coordinates."

Halo followed Bumblebee to the site of the mysterious signal, smiling inwardly; Finally, something interesting had happened. The two automobiles accelerated ahead, leaving behind a trail of dust.

They at last came to stop at a desolate area, secluded from the main road by towering stone cliffs, like a small canyon. Halo heard a beeping noise coming from a little way ahead of them. Sensing Bumblebee begin to walk towards it, she placed a servo on his shoulder to stop him from going any further.

She shook her helm, "I don't like this. Something's up."

He gently took her servo off of his shoulder, _"Relax, Halo. It's probably just an energon signal."_

The scout ran over to the beacon with the blinking light on it, closely followed by Halo, who was still wary of what it was. As Bumblebee curiously examined the object, the gold and silver femme suddenly heard the clicking of guns to their right.

An electric wave was fired at the yellow and black mech, creating a blow that sent him falling backwards.

"Bumblebee!" She yelled, reaching for her weapon.

But she was unable to use it as she felt a shocking pain surge through her body with a huge amount of electricity. The blast caused her to collapse to the ground, falling into temporary stasis lockdown along with Bumblebee. His ocean-blue optics were dimmed to black.

The culprits of the attack emerged; several men dressed in khaki green military uniform and gas-masks, armed with enhanced tasers that resembled missile launcher guns in terms of appearance.

One, however, didn't have a gun or mask, a deep scar running down his forehead to his chin. He stepped forward, glowing with pride at what the team had managed to secure.

"Silas," One of the men said to the scarred leader, "Another one is headed to our position. Estimated arrival: two minutes."

Silas didn't look away from the two Autobots, "Work briskly."

At his request, two of the soldiers got out their toolkits, one choosing to work on Bumblebee. He broke through the metal protecting the T-cog chamber before carefully beginning to remove the wires and circuits surrounding the bio mechanism.

In the meantime, the other soldier had been attempting to use a blowtorch to remove Halo's visor, with little, if any, success. Her frame was tougher to scrap than any metal they had come across.

Silas raised an eyebrow at the soldier, "Problem?"

"Sir, this metal is harder than any I've seen before," The soldier explained, "It can't be broken by a blowtorch. I can get to the first layer of metal, but after that it's tougher than steel."

"Then we'll have to settle for the T-cog," Silas said, glancing over to the other soldier as he continued to work.

A bright car light appeared from a kilometre ahead of them. Looking through his binoculars, Silas could see a heavy duty truck driving around the corner and towards them.

"It looks like the backup is ahead of schedule," Silas informed the soldier before moving towards the helicopter.

"As luck would have it-" The soldier working on Bumblebee removed his T-cog, "-so am I."

Silas climbed into the helicopter, "Move out."

The soldiers, by some stroke of luck, managed to all climb into the helicopter and take off in just enough time before Halo stirred from her stasis lock. The femme forced herself awake, making herself sit upright as she heard the sound of a helicopter flying away.

"Haley! Bee!" Bulkhead shouted as he transformed, kneeling next to her, "Are you ok? What happened?"

Halo shook her helm, "I don't...wait-Bumblebee!"

She struggled to get up, running over to the scout, who was still unconscious. She felt his pulse, exhaling as she realised he was still alive. His optics flickered back on, returning to their ocean-blue shade as he made himself sit up.

"Who did this? Cons?" Bulkhead demanded.

 _"I...didn't see them,"_ Bumblebee told him, half-awake.

"Only one way to find out," The Wrecker transformed and headed down the highway.

Bumblebee and Halo began to run after him, Halo transforming into her bike mode and driving alongside Bulkhead.

Bumblebee tried to change into his car alt, but – for some reason – couldn't. His door wings folded slightly, unable to transform any further. He stopped, confused. The scout tried once again to change into his alt mode; still nothing.

Noticing this, Halo swerved around and drove back to him, transforming as she did so, "Bumblebee, what's wrong?"

 _"I...don't know,"_ He replied, looking at his arms.

Bulkhead came up next to Halo, "We rollin' or not?"

Bumblebee shook his helm, _"Whoever attacked must have done something to my T-cog. I can't transform."_

"What do you mean you can't?" Bulkhead demanded.

"Th-They probably just mixed up the wires or something," Halo suggested, all the while trying to shake off the part of her that was saying it was something more, "We just gotta get you back to Doc bot."

Bumblebee nodded, but it wasn't hard for her to tell that he was worried on the inside.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Ratchet looked over Bumblebee's frame with his medical scanner, carefully searching for any sign of damage. Raf stood nearby next to Jack and Miko, worried for his friend.

The team was watching nearby, including Halo - who was secretly hoping this wasn't any worse than a minor malfunction.

"Y-You can fix Bee, can't you?" Raf asked hopefully.

The doctor continued to scan him, "Bumblebee was hit pretty hard. The stun blast may have fried his T-cog."

"Is that like a T-bone?" Miko asked.

Arcee shook her helm, "Not exactly; it's organ that allows us to scan vehicles and transform."

"By the AllSpark..." Ratchet murmured in disbelief, ceasing to scan Bumblebee, "Bumblebee's T-cog isn't damaged...it's _missing_."

The room was sent into stony silence. Halo's expression hadn't changed, but inside she felt like she had the day that...the dark day of Tyger Pax, her final battle as part of the Autobot army.

Someone finally had the courage to speak up.

"But the Decepticons transform too," Jack said, confused, "Why would they steal that?"

"Megatron may be known to raise zombies but he's no ghoul," Ratchet said.

Raf looked up at the medic, "But if Megatron wasn't behind this...who was?"

Bulkhead realised the only possible answer, "The ones who cannibalised Breakdown."

"And tried to gut me," Arcee added.

"MECH," The doctor suddenly looked very serious, "And it appears their knowledge of Cybertronian biotech has grown more sophisticated."

Halo was the only one who didn't understand, "Wait. Who's MECH?"

 _"Really bad humans,"_ Bumblebee explained, _"Basically, they want to strip us for spare parts to make more advanced tech."_

"But why would they want Bumblebee's part?" Raf asked.

The scout angrily got up, _"Doesn't matter. I'm gonna go get it back."_

He tried walking away but was stopped by Optimus.

"Bumblebee, please," Optimus said, placng a servo on the scout's shoulder, "You are not presently equipped to handle this."

 _"Optimus, you don't understand what this is like,"_ Bumblebee sighed, _"My T-cog is the most important part of me."_

"You are mistaken, my friend. I do know what it's like to lose a vital part of oneself. And, as a result, know the value of putting your faith into the strength of those around you. We vow to do everythig in our power to make you whole again."

"And, if not, Ratchet can just make you a new cog-thing, right?" Miko suggested.

That's what sent Bumblebee over the edge.

 _"You've gotta be kidding me!"_ He exclaimed, burying his helm in his hands as he slumped down on the medical berth.

Miko shrugged, "What'd I say?"

"Miko, a T-cog is a _bio_ -mechanismnot a scrapyard find," Ratchet told her, "If it were that easy, don't you think I would've replaced Bumblebee's voicebox by now? Or that Halo Jyn would have her sight back?"

That kind of stung.

The gold and silver femme just didn't anticipate it. But, although she was hurt on the inside, she didn't let it show. Wheeljack had taught her to be strong. She didn't plan on letting her feelings take over.

No one noticed anyway.

 _"Bio-mechs can't just be rebuilt,"_ Bumblebee explained, mainly just to Raf since the others couldn't understand him, _"Without being able to transform, I'm pretty much useless."_

"You're not useless, Bee," Raf said in an attempt to comfort his friend.

The scout momentarily glanced up at him, but sighed as he returned to gazing at the space ahead.

"Alright," Bulkhead finally spoke up, "I say none of us transform 'til Bumblebee gets his cog back."

Arcee turned to him, "Your spark's in the right place, Bulkhead, but I don't think now is the time to be limiting ourselves."

"Not with Megatron potentially seeking out other Doomsday devices," Optimus agreed, "And I fear not while MECH uses Bumblebee's T-cog for their own sinister purpose."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Halo walked absent-mindedly into the supply room. She just needed time o think without a bunch of other people in the room. Plus, whatever those MECH guys had done hadn't broken her visor, but it did feel different than it usually was.

A thousand thoughts were going through her processor.

 _This was a bad idea. I never should've come. I should've just stayed in space where people were far away and not my problem._

Bumblebee wasn't her problem, though. He was her friend and he was in trouble.

But she couldn't deal with that then.

She sighed as she removed the visor, revealing what lay beneath. She had a normal Cybertronian face, except for the area around where her optics should've been. Instead of optics was a gold metal band that had been attached to her to cover the all but permanent damage.

Halo carefully examined the visor with her hand, trying to pinpoint the origin of why it was playing up. Finally, she found a partially-melted section of it, which almost had broken through to the wires.

She sighed when she realised the damage; Didn't those guys know what happened when a Cybertronian metal alloy like her visor combined with the raw, concentrated energy of a blowtorch?

Either way, she picked up the spare welder and began to meld the silver metal shut.

"Haley? You ok?" A voice asked from the doorway of the room.

The femme cursed inwardly, remembering she'd left the door unlocked.

"I'm fine, Bulkhead," She lied, "Just checking that my visor's good."

"You just seem a little...I don't know, out of it."

She shrugged, "Just a little weird being on solid ground, I guess."

The green Wrecker didn't buy it though, "That it, Haley?"

"Yeah," Halo told him, "Really, I'm fine. Shouldn't you be dropping Miko off home?"

He shook his helm, "She wants you to take her."

"Well, like I said, I'm busy."

"You're not shaken up about the MECH thing are you?"

"I don't _get_ shaken up."

"Well something's upsetting you."

She kept her back to him, feeling herself grow more and more annoyed, "Bulkhead, please just leave me alone."

"You don't seem like yourself, Haley-"

"How can you even _say_ that?!" She exclaimed, still not facing him, "You left when I was ten orns old, centuries ago! And 'Haley' was gone the day this happened." She pointed to her blinded optics, "I'm not the same scared little kid you left behind. Now, it's Halo Jyn."

She didn't mean to yell at him (one thing Wheeljack had shown her unintentionally was how to have a short temper). But, on top of all the other stuff going on, it was kind of exhausting to be nice and get her point across at the same time.

Her having a go at him was followed by an uncomfortable silence. Bulkhead opened his mouth to speak, but then decided against it. Halo heard his footsteps as he left and walked on down the hallway.

As soon as she was sure he had turned the corner, she ran over to the door and locked it. Her back rested against it as the regret began to sink in.

Scrap; she had yelled at Bulkhead. One of the most important people in her life.

She froze as another memory came flooding back.

What had happened not long after Bulk had left...

 _"He's a traitor to the Wreckers!" Seaspray yelled, fury lacing his voice as he stormed into the room, "Why the Pit are you defending him?!"_

 _He took no notice of Halo._

 _The young femme looked up from where she was sitting in the main room of the Wrecker base - the same room where she'd found the Wheeljack and Bulkhead fighting a few weeks ago. Right then, it seemed to be the center of all arguments._

 _Her silvery-white hair was tied into a messy side-braid as she sat drinking her energon ration and - for lack of anything better to do - studying a data pad._

 _Wheeljack followed Seaspray into the room, averting his gaze when he saw her there._

 _"C'mon, Seaspray, Haley doesn't need to hear this," He told the old 'bot._

 _Seaspray crossed his arms, "No. She deserves to know why you're standing up for Bulkhead, that deserting coward-"_

 _"STOP!" Halo's voice cut him off from saying anything more._

 _The two looked surprised at the sudden outburst from the kid. She stood on the seat, fists balled angrily, the expression on her face saying it all._

 _"Bulkhead isn't a traitor and he isn't a coward," She said determinedly , "He's the bravest 'Bot I know. If he said that he had to leave, I trust him. And he'll be back soon anyway so he isn't a deserter."_

 _Seaspray just laughed at her, "You're not really so naive to believe that load of scrap?"_

 _"Quit it, Seaspray, before you say somethin' you regret," Wheeljack tried to get him to pipe down, but he wouldn't listen._

 _"Bulkhead has left the Wreckers. He isn't ever coming back. Not for me, not for Wheeljack-" He glared directly at the femme, who was beginning to grow afraid that what he was saying could be true, "And definitely not for some weak, pathetic, orphaned kid he just found left in the streets, unwanted by her own FAMILY!"_

 _That's when all calmness left the building._

 _Before he knew what was happening, the blue mech was on the ground, sent there by a punch filled with hatred from Wheeljack. The white mech glared remorselessly at Seaspray._

 _"Get. Out," He ordered, "Last warning."_

 _Seaspray looked up, in shock of what had just happened as he wiped the running energon from his mouth and felt the slight dent the punch had made there._

 _He didn't recognise the emotion in Wheeljack's optics and that was what most frightened him the most._

 _So he left, probably to go see Road-buster (the Wreckers' resident medic)._

 _As soon as he was gone, Wheeljack turned back to Halo. Tears welled in the young femme's optics, but she wouldn't let them fall just so Seaspray could be proven right._

 _"He's lying, Haley_ ," _he told her_ , " _You_ _how much you mean to everyone here, even that old 'bot."_

 _"Then...wh-why did he say what he said?" The femme asked, holding back her urge to cry._

 _Wheeljack shrugged, "Anger can make 'bots say stuff, do stuff that they wouldn't normally do. You know Seaspray isn't like that."_

 _She stayed silent for a few seconds before stuttering,_ _"B-Bulk's not coming back..." She looked up at Wheeljack, "Is he?"_

 _The white mech wanted to tell her she was wrong, but the truth was that he didn't know either_ _. For once, Wheeljack - of all Autobots - didn't know_ _what to say._ _He just sighed and resorted to the only thing he could think to say._

 _"I don't know."_

As the memory ended, so did Halo's ability to keep everything in. She sank to the floor, her mind flooding with all the people she'd let down: Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Bumblebee. Pit, even her own parents and brothers didn't want to keep her.

Seaspray had apologised to her later on, but that didn't undo what he'd said. It didn't take away pain she'd felt in that moment or every time she recalled it.

It didn't stop her from wondering why she should believe that anyone else would think more of her when her own family gave her up.

 _Knock it off,_ she told herself, _Past in the past. Future's all you gotta think about._

And that future included helping a certain yellow, black-striped mech retrieve his stolen bio-mechanism.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The next morning was seemingly quiet. After centuries of travelling in a tiny space shuttle like the Angel (which was currently sitting in the garage-like room of the base), it was nice to finally get a good night's sleep.

But, the cost of a lie-in, the chance of over-sleeping and waking up way later than planned - Halo discovered that when she checked her built-in digital clock and realised it was almost midday.

She almost didn't care and would've stayed in her room all day if it weren't for the fact that Bumblebee probably needed a supportive friend more than he did a tired one.

So that's what led Halo to forcing herself out of her berth and heading down the hall to the main room.

Unfortunately, she didn't exactly have the best timing.

"Leaving the base in this form puts you at risk of being seen and of us being discovered!" Ratchet's voice yelled from up ahead in the room, caused her to stop in her tracks, "You'll just have to remain in the silo until-"

 _"Until what, Ratchet?"_ The scout demanded, _"Until you can fix me?"_

Halo guessed he didn't give the medic a chance to reply as his heavy footsteps stomped towards the hallway. The black and yellow mech stormed towards her, doorwings lowered dangerously. His optics were narrowed and radiated anger.

Long story short - she didn't need sight to know that he was upset.

"Hey, Bee? What happened?" Halo said warily, dreading to ask.

He didn't respond. He just marched right past her like she didn't exist. Confused by how he was acting, the silver and gold femme spun around and stormed after him.

"Bumblebee?" She repeated, a little more ire in her voice.

The scout stopped walking, still refusing to face her, _"What happened is that everyone thinks I can't_ _do_ _anything now that my T-cog's gone."_

"I'm sure that's not true."

 _"Great, now you think I don't know what I'm talking about."_

"Bee, I don't-"

 _"Don't what?"_ Bumblebee turned to her, _"I'm not dumb and I don't need your pity."_

The femme almost backed away. This was a different side to him. Of course, she understood why he was acting the way he was. If it was anyone else, she would've told them to get over it.

"What happened to ignoring pity?" She countered.

 _"You're still on that?"_ He glared, _"In case you didn't notice, a lot has happened in the past few hours._

She was really starting to get ticked off, but still wouldn't let it show, "That doesn't change who you are."

Bumblebee scowled, _Just back off."_

Halo gritted her teeth, trying to suppress the urge to yell something she already knew she'd regret. Her plan half-worked.

"Alright, listen up," The femme demanded folding her arms, "In case you didn't realise, this is my attempt to comfort you, which - ironically - is out of my comfort zone. If you want to actually talk to me without that annoyed edge in your voice then ok, but I'm not here to be a punching bag."

The tone in her voice was serious, not in a cold way but in a way where even Bumblebee knew not to mess with her. He was about to speak, but decided against it on account of how serious she sounded.

Plus, he regretted yelling at her.

It wasn't her or Ratchet's fault what had

Halo sighed, "Bumblebee...I'm sorry that this is happening to you. But I heard you and Ratchet fighting back there. Pushing away the people who care about you isn't exactly the best idea."

He nodded before looking up at her, _"Heard that one before?"_

"No," She half-smiled, "I haven't been around 'people who care about me' in centuries."

 _"Halo, I..."_ Bumblebee was about to apologise (like Halo knew he would) when he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Ok, seriously," Halo stopped him, "A - I told you not to do that. And B - just...appreciate your friends."

He nodded, genuinely taking in what she had said before smirking, _"Can I count you as a friend?"_

Instead of replying, she just smiled, turned around and began walking towards the main room.

"We'll see."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Around three, Ratchet and Arcee had to go pick up the kids. Bulkhead was left on watch duty along with Halo and Bumblebee, currently telling the latest recruit about what humans did for fun.

It was only slightly awkward since Bulkhead was over near the computer monitor and they were around the kids' hangout.

"So...humans watch _movies_ about 'aliens and giant 'robots', but it would freak them out to actually _see_ us?" She questioned.

Bumblebee nodded, _"Yeah. You'll see - Miko'll probably convince you to watch a creature-double-feature at some point._ "

Halo paused for a second, about to ask something else when a beeping noise came from the computer. Both 'bots ran over to Bulkhead, curious as to what it was.

 _"What is that, Bulk?"_ Bumblebee asked.

"This could be it," The green mech replied, "I'll alert the others."

 _"Why? You, me and Halo can get the relic on our own."_

"I know we can handle it, Bee, but there's no reason to..." The Wrecker sighed, "What're you trying to prove?"

 _"That I'm not useless without my T-cog."_

Bulkhead looked pleadingly at Halo, who stood with her arms folded.

She shrugged, "You did ask."

Again, the green Autobot sighed, "Sorry, Bee, but nope. No way. Not happening."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

In a few minutes, all three of them were through the ground bridge and at the site of the beacon.

Bulkhead shook his head, "I still don't know how you two talked me into this. You're worse than Miko."

Halo smirked, "C'mon, Bulk. If I can shoot an arrow, Bumblebee can kick some 'con aft."

Bumblebee joined in, _"I can still fight without a T-cog."_

"Yeah, yeah," The green Wrecker turned back to reading the monitor.

"Pretty sure we were doing fine on Cybertron without wheels," HJ added.

 _"Exactly."_

Bulkhead nodded, "I know. Not every mission ends in a high-speed pursuit, but without your-"

 _"Bulk!"_ Bee exclaimed, " _Just let it go already."_

He shrugged, "Fine, I'll drop it. But if Optimus finds out, this was _not_ my idea."

The yellow mech roled his optics, _"Sure, Bulkhead."_ Halo's smile at the two quickly disintegrated as a rumbling noise came from deep in the cave in front of them: an engine. She turned her helm towards the cave entrance, drawing her weapon as she did so.

"Signal's coming from over there," Bulkhead informed them.

"Something's moving our way," She warned them, "And it's moving fast."

The roar of the car engine grew louder as a familiar crimson-red car shot out of the cave. He swerved to miss the three Autobots.

"Catch me if you can!" Knock Out taunted.

Without waiting for the others, Halo mounted her weapon on her back, transformed and charged after the car. Bumblebee and Bulkhead stayed behind though, learning the hard way that Knock Out wasn't the only Decepticon there.

The young femme darted gracefully around the twists and turns of the mountain roads. Ahead of her, Knock Out grinned to himself.

"Ah. So I see the Autobots have recruited yet another runt for the SS Sinking-Ship," he insulted.

"Keep talkin', Con," She dared, "It'll make kicking your sorry aft a whole lot easier."

He merely laughed, "Honestly, you femmes are so sensitive."

That only made her go faster.

Bad move.

Once he was sure she'd taken the bait, the red Decepticon released pin-like objects into the road.

Jyn had just enough time to think 'Oh scrap'. She slammed the brakes on. Unfortunately, they proved to be ineffective as her tyres painfully collided with the sharp shards. The slashes caused the air to escape from them and flood out.

The brakes were still useless.

Her frame - still in bike form, couldn't turn the next corner. Instead, she smashed into a surprisingly-strong tree trunk. Through the pain, she transformed back into robot mode.

She grabbed her arm, which appeared to be hurting the most, "Scrap, that's gonna leave a mark."

Knock Out smirked smugly and stopped driving just before passing an old gas station, "Too bad. Gold does look good on you."

If she'd heard him clearly, she would've told him to shut up.

Hearing components still ringing, she didn't notice when Bumblebee came running around the corner after them. Seeing Halo, his optics widened with worry.

 _"Halo!"_ The yellow mech kneeled down next to her, _"You ok?"_

She shook her helm, "Don't worry about me. Go after the relic." She sensed he was about to protest, "GO!"

Reluctantly, the yellow mech got up. He glared at the red Decepticon and began to run towards him.

"Sporting of you," Knock Out said suspiciously as he charged ahead.

Bumblebee aimed his arms at him, expecting them to transform into blasters. They didn't.

 _"Huh?"_ The mech tried again but still nothing.

"Your not even gonna _try_ and shoot out my tyres?" Knock Out exclaimed as he came to a halt just outside the abandoned gas station, "Bumblebee, where's your famous horsepower, huh? Show me some speed!"

Bumblebee balled his fists, narrowing his eyes at the Decepticon, _"You want speed? You got it."_

Determined to retrieve the relic, Bumblebee began to charge as fast as he could force himself to go.

The red car just laughed mockingly and continued to drive away just as Bumblebee was about to catch up to him.

Halo struggled to stand up, leaning against a tree with her good shoulder but still clinging to her hurt arm. Her senses were all over the place after the impact of crashing but she could just about make out the sound of rusted metal being moved and old rubber tyres scraping along the tarmac roads.

 _Oh scrap,_ the Wrecker sighed to herself, _Bee, what're you doing?_

"Bumblebee!" she yelled to her friend, who was currently barrelling down the road after Knock Out in a rusty old truck, "Bad idea!"

But he was too far ahead to stop now. The Decepticon's torment wasn't exactly helping convince him either.

 _Scrap!_ She cursed silently.

This could _not_ end well.

 **FYI, not done with that end scene. I just figured I should ypdate soon so ya'll know that I'm still working on this story and Silver Sun.**

 **Prepare for a major plot twist at sone point in this story (not saying when) because I've been plannig this for forever.**

 **Until all are one,**

 **GreyroseLegacy**


	4. Chapter Four: The Anti-pity Party

**And they said it was impossible.**

 **About six/seven-ish months after leaving this story on pause forever (sorry about that BTW), FINALLY, I completed this chapter!**

 **Full disclosure,** **this isn't the best chapter I've written, but then again not the worst either.**

 **And, just a heads-up; broken arm or not, Halo's gonna kick aft in this one.**

 **Please, r** **ead the end Author's Note 'cause I left two questions there for you guys to have a guess at** **which may or may not have something to do with the next chapter - Unless I forgot to write out the questions because I am a forgetful person.**

 **If you think you know the answers or have any theories, feel free to write what you think in the reviews section since I can't recieve PMs.**

 **Enjoy :-)**

 **Chapter Four : The anti-pity party**

"Of all the scrap-brained ideas," Ratchet vented as the two young 'bots were now patients in the med-bay, "Taking Bumblebee into a potential chase scenario when he no longer has the ability to access his wheels?!"

Bumblebee was still out cold on one berth (couldn't blame him after the day he'd had). Ratchet had managed to stabilise his condition, but he was still under stasis.

Halo Jyn was currently sat on the berth opposite with her back against the wall. A metal cast was around her broken arm and any scratches or bruises were just going to mend themselves.

She'd fallen too, but was too stubborn to have blacked out because of it.

Arcee stood next to Bulkhead as he tried to figure out a way to stop the doctor's angry rant.

Bulkhead shrugged innocently in response, "H-He improvised."

"And you!" Ratchet pointed accusingly at Halo, who immediately lifted her head up at his tone, "What was going through _your_ processor allowing him to go?!"

"Bumblebee can take care of himself," She said defensively, appearing to not be afraid of the medic, "Losing his T-cog doesn't take away his fighting ability."

"Hey, Bee's waking up!" Raf called from where he was standing next to his guardian.

The yellow mech whirred as he grabbed his helm, sitting upright, _"What happened?"_

The Autobot medic turned to the scout, "You've already lost your voice box and your T-cog - were you really trying to add your _spark_ to the list?"

 _"I knew it. Without being able to transform I'm pretty much useless."_

"Don't say that, Bumblebee," Raf disagreed, "You're not useless."

Arcee stepped forward, "Look, I hate to break up the pity party, but the 'Cons just added 'unknown Iacon payday number-two' to their armoury."

"Neither blame nor praise will modify past events," Optimus said as he approached, "But we cannot afford to take further unnecessary risks. Bumblebee, you are not to leave our base - not until we can retrieve your missing bio-mechanism."

Bumblebee continued to gaze sadly into empty space, wondering if he really was useless now. No matter how much Raf tried to comfort him and tell him otherwise, the yellow mech wouldn't be convinced.

Halo didn't say anything. After all that had happened, she just wanted to recharge in her room. But the Doc-bot said she had to stay in the med-bay for observation until he was certain her wounds had healed.

A sigh escaped from her as she tilted her helm downwards.

Did she feel slightly responsible for what had happened to Bumblebee back then and in that moment? Answer: yes.

It was the guilt she felt from Tyger Pax that had clouded her judgement to let him go on the mission.

As she tried to block out the world for a minute, she heard the conversation Ratchet and Optimus were having across the other side of the room.

"Bumblebee is right to be less than hopeful," Ratchet told him, "But you and I both know there exists a way to make him whole again."

"A transplant," Optimus realised, "But that would require a donor."

There was a pause in the conversation before Ratchet responded, straightening his stance, "You need look no further than the Autobot standing before you."

She sensed Optimus turning back to him with what she assumed was an expression of surprise mixed with concern.

"A generous offer, old friend, but your solution would merely trade one Autobot's handicap for another's," The Autobot leader said.

"I don't rely on my T-cog, not like Bumblebee does. The ability to transform is virtually wasted on me. _This_ is where I spend my days, where my thoughts and hands are of value, not my weapons or wheels," He turned back to the group, "Our team can't afford to be shy even one warrior in the field."

"You make a compelling case. But know that we _will_ find Bumblebee's T-cog."

"Optimus," Ratchet turned back to face him, "MECH are savages. Who knows _what_ damage they may have already inflicted upon it, or... or if I will be able to repair it?"

Optimus looked at his friend with empathy, aware of what he was really referring to, "Ratchet, you did everything in your power."

The medic quickly scoffed in a failing attempt to cover up what he was feeling, "Please. Do you _really_ think that this is about my inability to restore Bumblebee's voicebox?

 _Voicebox?_ Halo thought, _Wait.., the Doc-bot was at Tyger Pax_?

The red and blue mech didn't look like he believed his friend, but said nothing.

Ratchet continued, "I-I...I just want to do what's right for our scout...for the team."

If he knew what had happened to Bumblebee all those orns ago, why hadn't he said anything about her?

If he'd known how she'd contributed to the loss of Bumblebee's voicebox...

 _"STOP!" Halo begged, her friend's scream echoing through the room, "You're killing him!"_

 _She struggled against the bonds that chained her to the wall, Bumblebee facing her opposite and gasping for air. Energon was starting to stream from his chassis where he'd been struck and his throat became increasingly scarred_ , _dangerously close to his voicebox._

 _An unsettling familiar laugh followed, "That is the point of this war, femme. Of course, you could ease his suffering by confessing the location of Optimus Prime."_

 _The blue femme bit her tongue. She'd known the cost of the war, but never expected it to be that painful to witness._

 _"D-Don't...N-N-Night..." The yellow 'bot begged._

 _His selflessness only made it harder for her to make the decision. She tried to hold back her tears (more emotional as a fifteen-orn-old)._

 _Her helm bowed with guilt as she tried to block out the returning screams._

An uneasy feeling grew in the center of her stomach as she realised just how much she was allowing it to get to her. Why should she feel so guilty? This had happened almost seven orns ago and Bumblebee was fine now, right?

But blame like that didn't just go away, as Ratchet so difficultly had found out.

By now, the medic had made his way back towards the group, Optimus back where they'd been talking.

He cleared his throat, "May I have your attention?" When he was sure everyone was listening, he continued, "Um, as you know, my place rather than battle is here at base. As such, I see absolutely no point why I should maintain the ability to transform."

They all appeared a little confused.

"Ratchet, what're you saying?" Arcee questioned.

"I am saying that..." Ratchet answered, "I wish to donate my own T-cog to Bumblebee."

The room was sent into stony silence, no one really sure of what to say to anyone else. Knowing that they could've stayed like that for a while, Ratchet decided to speak up again.

"Now," He began, "As I am the other patient involved-"

 _"Wait, Ratch,"_ Bumblebee interrupted, looking up at his friend in concern, _"Are you...sure this is what you want?"_

Ratchet sighed, "Bumblebee, you need the ability to drive and shoot more than I do. As I've said, the power of transforming is all but wasted while I stay here at base and off of the battlefield. Do you accept?"

The yellow scout paused for a second, unable to concieve that Ratchet was willing to do this for him. And although people kept saying that he was more than just the horsepower of the team, he'd learnt the hard way that motivational encouragement didn't help in a high-speed mountain chase.

After careful deliberation, the scout nodded.

"Right then," Ratchet replied, marching past Arcee and Bulkhead, "As I was saying, being the other patient involved, I cannot perform the procedure. Therefore, one of you must serve as my proxy."

Halo heard him stop as he reached her, "Nope."

"Do you have experience in medicine?" Ratchet asked.

"What makes you think I can do it?" She continued to protest, "I can't see, I have a broken arm and most importantly, don't want to."

The medic shrugged, "Those arguments never win when anyone other than yourself brings them up, but they are logical."

Halo involuntarily shifted her seat at the word 'logical', bringing to mind several reminders of her past she'd rather forget. Not noticing this, the grumpy medic continued to examine the other two Autobots capable of performing the procedure.

He shook his helm decisively as he strode past Bulkhead, "Better at breaking things." He stopped at the blue femme, "Arcee."

"Optimus has steadier servos," Arcee claimed.

"Steady," Ratchet agreed, "But much too large to be rooting around beneath my hood."

Realising she wasn't going to win this round, the fighter sighed and began walking away to prepare for the surgery.

Jack felt he should give some support to his partner, "Arcee, you can do this. You're as steely as they come."

"On a _battle-field_ ," She denied, "Not in an operating theatre."

The teen shrugged, "Same thing; as long as you're _behind_ the knife, not _under_ it."

The femme sighed and continued to stride away, obviously not overly confident about the procedure.

Halo noticed the scout was being uncharacteristically quiet about everything. He just sat on the berth, taking in all that'd happened.

"Bumblebee?" She said, causing the yellow mech to glance up, "You good?"

The scout disbelievingly nodded, _"Uh...yeah, I think so."_

"Be happy, Bee," Bulkhead patted him on the shoulder, "You're getting your wheels back."

 _"Yeah, I know,"_ He said, _"And - don't get me wrong - I'm grateful,_ _it's just...I can't help feel guilty. What if Ratchet gets in trouble and he can't shoot back to defend himself? Or what if he needs to drive away from a battle and gets trapped?"_

Halo spoke up this time, "Bee, he said it himself: He doesn't rely on his T-cog like you do. And he doesn't have any proper reason why he'd _want_ to go into battle."

Bumblebee shrugged, _"I guess you're right, but...I wish I'd managed to get my own T-cog back from MECH in the first place."_

Neither really knew how to respond to that in a way that would make the scout feel better, so the uncomfortable silence began to set in again for the twelfth time.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

After anticipating preparation and a lot of hesitation, the surgery was at last about to be performed. Surveying the substitue medic's anxiety, Halo Jyn thought that maybe some more encouragement and support was in order. After all, Bumblebee was their mutual friend.

Arcee stood at the medical computer, monitoring the patients' vital statistics. The archer could sense that she couldn't properly focus.

"Arcee," The gold 'bot said, "You got this."

Although a little surprised, Arcee nodded in acknowledgement of what Halo had said. She went back to the computer monitor, trying a little harder to focus on the task at hand and forget the stress.

"Inducing stasis," She sighed, attempting to sound more confident than the reality.

Bumblebee lifted his helm, looking over at the medic gratefully, _"I really appreciate this, Ratch."_

Groggily, Ratchet waved his servo, "Uhhh...You can thank me when...it's over..."

As the doctor's optics slowly closed, Arcee took another breath, "Okay, Bumblebee. Your turn."

But before she could activate the stasis log, a beeping noise began to echo from the main computer, causing a slight wave of panic.

"W-What's happening?" Raf asked.

"Ratchet's FLATLINING!" Miko exclaimed.

"No, he isn't!" Arcee really wasn't in the mindset for panic.

The Autobot leader knew too well what the small signal on the main computer's screen meant, "It's an Iacon homing beacon."

"If we're picking up the signal from here, it means the 'Cons just unearthed another relic," Bulkhead realised.

Knowing they couldn't afford to waste time, Optimus addressed the group, "Autobots, prepare to roll out!"

Arcee not-so-subtly murmured a 'yes' in relief. Halo didn't bother trying to ask if she could tag along this time, already aware of the answer. Unfortunately, Bee forgot how serious Optimus could be.

 _"Time to scramble some 'Con circuits,"_ He said, excitedly jumping up from his seat.

" _Except_ for our patients," The leader's stern voice made it clear that he wasn't about to change his mind anytime soon.

The scout soon caught on as his expression fell and he slumped back down onto the medical berth. At Optimus' orders, Arcee interrupted stasis.

The three able warriors were soon through the ground bridge, leaving only the kids, Bumblebee and Halo Jyn left. Ratchet too but his being under the effects of robot-anaesthesia didn't exactly count as adult supervision.

The archer soon noted Bee's quieter-than-quiet demeanor.

"Bumblebee? You ok?" She asked, but knew the answer was pretty clear.

He shook his helm, _"Optimus is never gonna trust me with a mission again, is he?"_

"Don't say that, Bee," Raf tried to deter his friend's negative thoughts, but with little luck, "Optimus trusts you."

Bee sighed, _"This is gonna be like after Tyger Pax all over again."_

Halo unintentionally froze at hearing the event one too many times that day, "W-Well...I guess, all you can really do is just prove 'em wrong. R-Right?"

 _"I guess so,"_ He shrugged at first, not really taking much notice of her statement.

But he paused for a second after. He'd heard Halo stutter but only once when she was lying about her sight loss. What about Tyger Pax could she possibly have to lie about? After all, she'd only just heard about what happened the day before, didn't she?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Prime! Breaking news!" A strange, slightly irritated voice sounded through the HQ.

The sudden noise caused Halo to bolt upright. She leapt up from her berth as if by instinct, careful not to disturb her broken arm.

 _"Agent Fowler?"_ Bumblebee said from over at the computer, _"What's going on?"_

Running to where he was, Halo turned to the screen, "Where's the fire?"

"Wha-?" Fowler paused for a second before looking back to Bumblebee "Who's this and where's Prime?"

Bumblebee shrugged, _"This is Halo Jyn - she's new here. And Optimus went to go retrieve another Iacon relic."_

Fowler paused for a second, trying to understand what the yellow 'bot had just said, "Look. Let him know that-" He began talking slower, "I've juuuust recieved aaacess to saaatellite imaaagery, which I believe piiinpoints the ceeentre opeeerations of MECH."

"We can understand you when you talk normally, dude," Halo told him.

"For the love of-!" The agent sighed as the kids walked along the platform to the monitor, "Get me someone I know who speaks something other than 'Bleep'!"

Beginning to find the guy annoying, Halo opened her mouth, about to tell him a few 'bleeps' that he'd understand. She didn't though as she felt Bumblebee place a servo on her shoulder and subtly shake his head.

Raf raised his hand in the air, "Uh, I can help."

"WHAT?!" Everyone flinched as they heard Ratchet's voice emerge drowsily from the med-bay, "Do I hear a fuzor in need of voicebox repair?"

"What's a 'fuzor'?" Fowler demanded.

Ratchet sat up on the medical berth, "I am able! Just ask Bantor - he was all mandril before I...put a tiger in his tank."

No one really knew what to say in response to that. Bumblebee finally spoke up, turning to Raf.

 _"Please, Raf. Ask Fowler to send the cooradinates,"_ He begged.

"Bumblebee...you heard what Optimus said about leaving the base," Raf reminded him worriedly.

 _"This will be the one chance I'll have to get my T-cog back and make a real contribution to the team again."_

Halo sighed, "Look, I'll go with him if it'll make you feel better."

"Really?" Jack asked, "Don't you have a broken arm?"

The gold femme placed her non-broken hand on her hip in defence, "That and a ship full of home-made grenades with pretty significant detonation ranges."

The boy was a little concerned, "Uh-"

"Shush!" Miko interrupted, grinning excitedly, "She's gonna blow stuff up!"

Jack just gave up after that, "Um, sure. Send the coordinates, Agent Fowler. We'll...make sure Optimus gets them."

The government agent was a little suspiscious at first, but figured the kids could be trusted. Boy, was he wrong.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"I don't get it," Breakdown stated, pausing from breaking away the icy stone from the latest relic discovery, "All this chipping away with my hammer...just to bring Megatron another hammer?"

Knock Out rolled his optics as he stood nearby, "Yes, but _your_ hammer doesn't have mystic properties that could vanquish the Autobots at the snap of your fingers."

The bigger mech sighed and continued to smash away at the slowly-crumbling rock.

Little did either of them take notice of the three Autobots to the side, who knew fully well the powers that the 'hammer' held. And they were determined to retrieve it - if not for the war's sake then for at least the scout's.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The familiar bright emerald of the ground bridge portal materialised in the middle of a dark forest. Bumblebee leapt out first, battle stance at the ready.

Case of explosives in hand, Halo Jyn emerged from the bridge alongside him. She wasn't like Wheeljack when it came to urges to (Miko's words) 'blow stuff up', but she was no stranger to a good ol' payback mission.

Bee glanced through the trees at the base, his optics narrowing, _"There._ _But too many guards with those electric guns."_

"Okay," She turned to him, "Here's the plan: I'm gonna go scout ahead. In about five minutes, you'll see a signal. That's your cue to go."

Without waiting for a reply, the femme picked up the case and was about to move when he stopped her.

 _"Halo, these guys are dangerous,"_ He said, dead-serious, _"They'll break us down for spare parts if either of us get caught_

Halo Jyn smirked, "I didn't plan on getting caught."

 _"I'm serious_ _. You have no idea what they're capable of."_

"And _they_ don't know what _I'm_ capable of. You think this is my first stealth mission?" She pulled away from him and started off out of the forest, "Just sit tight and wait for the signal."

 _"Wait, what's the signal?"_ Bee asked her.

A plotting grin formed on her face, "I'm gonna give you a chance to guess that for yourself, Bee."

He was about to protest but she was running down towards the far side of the military base faster than he could say 'The Fallen'. So instead he did the only thing he could think to do; lie in wait for the yet-to-be-revealed signal.

Halo had almost reached the other side of the MECH base. Her golden and silver frame darted gracefully through the various warehouses as she tried to avoid any humans who were lurking around on patrol.

Unfortunately for them, the femme was just as quick as she was when her arm _wasn't_ broken.

It was kind of annoying to her that Bumblebee didn't think she could do this mission. After all, she'd been fighting this war since she was a kid. In comparison to that, what harm could a few self-overrating humans do?

As she moved, she subtly deployed the grenades, spread out across the base and set to go off as soon as she pressed the detonator. Finally, she reached the edge of the base, taking cover behind a non-rigged-to-explode building.

She waited in anticipation, grinning the same cute-yet-strange grin she had when she was ready to do something crazy.

"This is gonna be fun," She mused to herself, her thumb pressing down on the detonator.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Silas proudly gazed up at the fake Cybertronian that stood towering above his team. After all this hard work, sacrifice and strife, he would finally have the power over Titans and hold an advantage of a impending war.

Alongside him (about ten times his height) Starscream too looked to the makeshift Transformer.

He grinned deceptively, "We are mere moments from experiencing the miracle of transformation!"

As usual, his celebration was premature. A booming sound echoed from outside, followed by the building simultaneously rumbling. As the wave passed and the ground was stable again, the MECH leader turned to the lead engineer on the platform next to him.

"What was that?" He demanded.

The engineer pointed to the CCTV screen, where the aftermath could be seen, "A grenade-" He paused as another explosion echoed from outside, then correcting himself, "Or grenades. Setting off at the Western and Southern borders."

"Then dispatch the troops to deal with it," He ordered, "No doubt Autobot or Government are responsible, and we can't afford either to find our project."

At his command, half the group of soldiers ran out of the bunker to take care of whatever was attacking, guns in hand. Silas, Starscream and the remaining soldiers proceeded to attempt to activate the robot.

But a second smashing echoed, this time from the metal barricade. The soldiers immediately prepared themselves as the sound came again, this time created a deep dent in the large door. At the final punch, the metal door crashed to the ground.

The dust settled as quickly as it had risen, revealing the trademark black and yellow of the Autobot scout. His normally calm blue optics were now narrowed determinedly. He glanced at the soldiers, then at Starscream before his optics finally rested on the makeshift Cybertronian.

 _" T_ _hat's what they need my T-cog for,_" Bee realised.

"No T-cog!" Starscream suddenly shouted, aiming his missile-launching arm at him and smirking, "He's unarmed."

Bumblebee leapt out of the way just as the missile hit the wall he'd been standing in front of. He swung the factory melting-basin forward like a wrecking ball, managing to knock the former Decepticon SIC off balance and smash him against the wall.

Realising that Starscream wasn't going to win this fight, the human soldiers began rapidly firing at the scout, with little effect. The bullets merely bounced off of the Autobot's metal armour.

The yellow mech still shielded his optics from the fire, _"C'mon, Halo. Where are you?"_

He didn't want to have to hurt humans in general, but on this rare occasion (with them being evil and all) it seemed unavoidable.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The gold and silver Autobot ducked behind yet another building at hearing the clustered stomping of the MECH soldiers, getting closer towards her.

"I think it went this way!" One of them shouted, pointing to the direction opposite to where she was hiding.

 _It?_ She thought in annoyance, _What do they think we are? Mindless drones?_

As they began walking away, one of them paused, taking a call from someone. The others turned back, looking to him as he talked to the person on the other side.

"Hang on...Ok, sir...Yes sir...Report back to you." He ended the call and addressed the others, "This one's apparently got some kinda 'special metal properties'. Silas said it's a capture mission not a kill."

"Another guinea pig for their experiments?" A second one asked.

Halo tensed at hearing the word 'experiment'. She'd had her share of science when she was imprisoned with the Decepticons. But humans this ruthless? There was no telling what they'd do to try and unravel Cybertronian biology and technology...

The first nodded, "Yeah. He ordered stiletto-bot to destroy the other intruder."

By 'other intruder', the Wrecker guessed that they meant Bumblebee. And she knew for a fact that she'd never be able to forgive herself if something bad happened to him when she could stop it...not again.

The soldiers had already left in the other direction to go find the remaining 'intruder', AKA her. Realising she probably had little time before the scout would be scrap metal, Halo darted quickly and silently around the other side of the building, running back the way she'd come.

She knew she couldn't fight as well with as broken arm, but was pretty sure she could kick stiletto-bot's aft, whoever they were. Sprinting around the corner, Halo finally came to a halt outside the building where they'd been keeping Bumblebee's T-cog. Keeping close to the wall as cover, she subtly leaned in closer to hear their conversation.

 _"Give me back my T-cog, Starscream,"_ Bumblebee demanded.

Starscream? Halo had heard that name many times before. But what was a Decepticon second-in-command doing working with humans?

The 'Con laughed mockingly, "Or you'll what? Shoot? So sad, to be deprived of achieving the sensation of speed. How utterly _pathetic_ to be a failure as an Autobot."

The Wrecker swiftly reached for her golden staff, transforming it into a blaster rifle. In a single motion, Halo revealed herself from behind the wall, aiming the pistol directly at the grey Seeker.

"He's not the one who failed," She snarled at the 'Con, "Drop the T-cog or drop altogether."

Starscream blinked at in surprise, "Seriously? _Another_ one?"

Noticing the Seeker was distracted, Bumblebee sprinted forward and went for him. Starscream yelped as the mech tackled him to the ground, causing him to throw the T-cog in the air.

 _"NOW, Halo!"_ Bee shouted to her.

The femme dropped her pistol, lunging forward and leaping towards the cog to catch it. Time seemed to slow as a whole. She reached out with her free arm just as Starscream managed to wrestle Bee off of him. He aimed his blaster in a matter of milliseconds. Two shots fired.

One shot hit the bio-mechanism just as Halo reached it. The other shot (whether intended to or not) hit Halo, right in the abdomen.

The force of the blast sent the young 'bot flying backwards, crashing agains the floor as she scraped to a stop. The T-cog stopped alongside her.

 _"Halo!"_ Bumblebee yelled, then glaring at Starscream, _"You-!"_

The Decepticon laughed in amusement, "Time to jet!" He grinned, transforming out of spite mid-air, "Because _I_ can!"

Immediately, the Seeker launched himself out of the newly-created exit in the wall. Not even caring about his T-cog, Bumblebee ran over to Halo, who lay clutching onto her wounded stomach in agony. He knelt down next to her, optics widening at seeing the normally-tough 'bot in such pain.

 _"Halo?_ " He gently helped her to sit upright, _"A-Are you okay?"_

She groaned, struggling to regain her balance, "Bee...I'm fine." She paused as a she realised, "Wh-What about your T-cog?"

The yellow mech glanced over to the now smouldering biomechanism. At sensing his doorwings lower, Halo recieved her answer. She inwardly cursed and shakily stood up, Bumblebee following in suite. He slowly walked over to the T-cog. Carefully, he reached down and picked it up in both servos.

 _"Well,"_ A sigh finally escaped him as he examined the damage, _"Looks like I won't be transforming or going on missions anytime soon."_

"Bumblebee...I'm so sorry," Halo began, trying to think of something to say that would ease his sadness, "I should've gotten to it in time."

He shook his helm, _"Don't blame yourself, Halo. This was my fault."_

She would've argued, but the familiar whirling sound of the portal came from outside. Bumblebee began moving towards it, optics gazing sadly at the nearly-totaled T-cog. Sighing in regret, Halo followed her teammate outside.

As predicted, Optimus, Arcee and Bulkhead were there. The Autobot leader appeared ready to scold both of them at first. However, his expression softened as he saw what the scout was carrying.

He activated his comlink, "Ratchet, send a Ground Bridge." He looked down at the broken bio-mech, "And prepare for surgery."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Halo stood silently, leaning her back against the wall as they all anticipated the end of the procedure. She kept her helm turned from the others; Even though she couldn't see them, sensing their sympathy was no challenge.

"Haley," Bulkhead said softly, from where he stood next to Arcee, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," The young femme responded all too quickly.

This time, the green Wrecker knew better than to pursue the question.

Arcee glanced at her, "Halo, you did the best you could."

"And the 'best I could do' got his T-cog fried," She spoke in a tone that wasn't angry or even slightly irritated; More disappointed in herself if anything.

She didn't save Bumblebee's voicebox, but she'd been trying her best to save his ability to transform. Now, the young Wrecker felt like she couldn't even do that right. After what felt like hours, Ratchet finally emerged from the med-bay, glancing down at the floor in reluctance.

"W-Well?" Halo Jyn stuttered in an almost scared tone, "How is he?"

Ratchet's shoulders fell slightly, "I...did what I could."

Optimus strode over to the medic, placing a comforting servo on his shoulder, "Our scout could not have been in better hands, old friend."

Miko turned to Jack, whispering as quietly as she could, "And we didn't stick with plan A and let Ratchet donate his T-cog, why?"

"Bumblebee wouldn't accept it," Jack answered.

A whir came from the scout as he groggily sat up. Eagerly, the yellow and black mech stood up and began stretching, quickly regaining his child-like energy.

 _"Did it work, Ratch?"_ He asked hopefully.

"Please, Bumblebee, recovery takes time," The medic said with every sense of severity in his voice.

The T-cog already looked like it was battle-scarred enough. He didn't want the young Autobot to further the damage that had already been inflicted upon the biomechanism. Nor did he wish to make the mistake of getting the scout's hopes up.

Still, Bumblebee was all too ready to get back to his old, transforming self. He eagerly tried transforming into his alt mode. As Ratchet had warned, he remained in his bipedal mode.

"The damage was...severe," Ratchet told him with regret.

Halo knew what that meant. She'd heard it from the doctors the day she'd been freed from Shockwave. Despite what the Doc-bot said, Bumblebee tried once more to transform, with even more determination. At seeing his attempt was met with the same response, the yellow mech lowered his door wings sadly.

The gold femme lifted her helm slightly at hearing a clicking sound. The team even more so as Bumblebee's frame shifted in a flash, back to his Camaro form. Raf, Jack and Miko all cheered for him while the others looked on with smiles, all too happy for the scout.

A proud, yet surprised, smile also donned the medic's face as he realised the Autobot could transform once again.

 _"Ratchet, you're AWESOME!"_ Bumblebee exclaimed, drifting donuts around where he was. He stopped, opening the passenger side door, _"Where do you wanna go, Raf?"_

His young charge laughed, "Ha, anywhere!" The boy eagerly climbed in and strapped his seatbelt on, "Just...drive!"

The team all watched with grateful expressions as Bumblebee swerved around and sped out of the base entrance. Ratchet chuckled to himself, then calling out for the scout to be careful.

"Whoa, Bee's T-cog looked like it was ready for the scrapyard," Bulkhead stated, still in disbelief.

Arcee nodded, "Hard to believe the Doc repaired it."

Optimus turned to them both, "That is not all Ratchet has repaired today."

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The Wrecker sat peacefully in the empty training room, back against the wall, scanning through an audio-based site that Miko had introduced her to: YouTube Music. She'd been trying to listen to the latest rock music, as the pink-haired girl advised, but just found it so...boring.

Katy Perry, Beyonce, Nicky Minaj; They seemed okay, but not really her style of artists. Finally she stopped when she found a few likeable rock bands.

"The Cab?" Halo said, questioning the name, but playing the recommended song, "Sure."

The femme found herself unconsciously nodding her helm to the song 'Angel With A Shotgun'. So much so that she didn't even notice when another Autobot walked into the room; Her helm was already echoing the song. Feeling a light tap on her shoulder, she immediately leapt from her chair.

 _"Whoa, Halo, it's me!"_ Bumblebee put his servos up in defence, just as startled by her reaction.

She exhaled in relief, "Sorry, Bee. I was playing a song and didn't hear you."

He smirked, _"So Bulkhead was right? You do like music."_

"Maybe," She shrugged, picking up her bow and mounting it onto her back, "So, did you drop Raf home?"

Bee nodded, _"Yep. We played a bunch of videogames first, though. Driving videogames."_

"Must feel great to have your wheels back."

 _"Definitely. Speaking of which..."_ He began in a playful tone, _"Now that I can drive again, and you've got your cast off, I think you owe me a race rematch."_

Halo Jyn smiled, wanting so much to say yes. But her expression soon faded as she realised that she still hadn't told him about their shared pasts. There was too much guilt in her to not admit what she did. And there was no doubt in her that once he did find out, he wouldn't want anything to do with her.

"I...I can't," She finally stated reluctantly.

He tilted his helm, _"Oh...okay. Why not?"_

She sighed, "Bee...I have to tell you something. And I know it's going to change the way you see me, but I have to tell you anyway-"

 _"I know you're Nightbreak,"_ The scout cut her off, greatly to her surprise.

The Wrecker stepped back in shock, "Wait...you do? How?"

He shrugged, _"I figured it out earlier. Also, I'm a scout: If I couldn't recognise people, I wouldn't be very good at my job."_

"And you...you still want to be friends?" She questioned, "I mean, after what I did...I didn't save your voicebox when I had the chance."

 _"Halo, it was either save me or save an entire HQ of Autobots, including Optimus,"_ He told her with the sincerest tone in his voice, _"And that's all in the past now."_

The femme didn't look like she believed him, "You've really forgiven me?"

 _"There's nothing to forgive_. _Honestly, when you disappeared after we got out, I'm just glad to know you survived,"_ He reassured her, _"Now, do you want to go race?"_ A mischevious smirk spread across his face, _"Or are you too scared of losing?"_

Halo allowed for a small smile to tug at the corner of her mouth, "If I'm remembering right, _I_ beat _you_ last time."

 _"Then I'll beat you this time!"_ He exclaimed, quickly spinning around, darting out of the door and towards the main room.

"Hey! False start!" She called, laughing and running after the scout at a quicker pace.

Halo Jyn's arrival on Earth had been anything but peaceful. But it was worth it for the friends she'd made and family she'd reconnected with.

Unfortunately...afore-said 'family' expanded further than she thought.

 **Yaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!** **You have _no_ idea how much this chapter has been bugging me. I really hope you guys liked it :-)**

 **Question time:**

 **1) Who do you think Halo's real paren5s and brothers were?**

 **2) Why do you think they left her?**

 **3) What faction do you think they were part of? Autobot, Decepticon, or Neutral?**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read my story! Again, sorry for it taking so long. But, I promised I wasn't going to give up, so I'm keeping it.**

 **Until All Are One,**

 **GreyroseLegacy.**


	5. Chapter Five: Clean-up don't cut it

**Shame on me for having the audacity to not post for a year and then come back with this. I've been focusing a little too much on the Silver Sun story, but a recent review on this one reminded me that people probably want to know what happens next.**

 **BTW, there is a twist appearing in this chapter, so I advise that you proceed with caution because I've been planning this for a year and a bit.**

 **So here it is. It only took 348 days. Apologies for any unseen spelling mistakes.**

 **Enjoy :-)**

 **Chapter Five : Clean-up don't cut it**

 **Wrecker Base . . . Eleven orns ago . . .**

It had almost been three months since Bulkhead had left the Wreckers for the mission to Earth. But Haley still hadn't given up the hope of his promise to her. He said he'd come back, so that meant he must be coming back, right?

Unfortunately, it didn't help the in-fighting among the team. Namely, Seaspray and Rotor-Storm versus the others. It had pretty much become routine for the young Autobot to leave the room and shut her berthroom door anytime she heard arguing.

And that was what she was doing in that moment, sat on her berth, messing around with a black and white bow she'd taken from Impactor's weapons arsenal. She pulled back the string connecting each end on the weapon and imagined there was an arrow there.

"I got optics on the target," She whispered imagining another person at the other end of a line, "Nightbreak here, requesting back-up to storm the base."

"Wreckers don't call for back-up," A voice from her door caused her to jump, "They call for clean-up."

She swiftly hid the bow behind her back, like whoever was there couldn't have seen it yet. Her bright optics turned to see Wheeljack stood at the door. He raised one optic ridge at her.

"Been going through Impactor's stuff again, huh?" He asked, walking over to the femme and holding his servo out, "Gimme."

Reluctantly, the kid handed over the bow. She guiltily stared at the floor.

"I was gonna put it back," She murmured.

He rolled his optics, smirking at the femme, "Sure you were, Haley. But you shouldn't have really taken it in the first place." He held it up, "See this? This is 'danger'."

Haley nodded, "I know, I know."

"I'm not kidding, Halo. Life isn't all 'playing soldier'," Wheeljack didn't change his serious tone, "We're all going out for a bit. Just a mining op over in Akalai, nothin' major."

"Ok," She shrugged, "I guess I'll see you then."

The way she said it was like it was an everyday occurrence - and in a manner of speaking, it was. The Wreckers barely took care of her anymore, just assuming that she could look after herself.

Noticing the youngling's less energetic demeanour, Wheeljack chose to speak up again, "Hey. How 'bout when I get back I teach you how to use this thing?" He gestured to the bow, "You're gonna need your own weapon if you want to be a real Wrecker."

Halo brightened up a little, "Thanks, Wheeljack."

He smiled, "No problem, kid." He began heading for the door, "Stay in the base and remember to have your energon today, okay?"

 **Present Day . . .**

Halo really wished the Autobots weren't undercover - that way she wouldn't have had to wait until she got back to base to stretch after her 'totally-safe', 'non-dune-bashing' ride through the desert with Miko.

She transformed as she entered the base, brushing off stray grains of sand that clung to her armour.

"Next time, _Bulkhead's_ on 'Miko duty'," She smirked.

"Bulkhead's...out at the minute," Ratchet explained, slight hesitation in his voice, "As are the others."

"Oh," Halo responded simply, "On a mission?"

Ratchet nodded, "Yes. He...thought it best not to inform you quite yet."

She tilted her helm in suspicion "Why not? Bulk of all 'bots knows I can defend myself."

The doctor shrugged reluctantly, "Again yes, but-"

"Ratchet, we require a Ground Bridge," Optimus' voice came from over the speaker, "Wheeljack is injured."

The Wrecker's spark momentarily pause as he said that. No, she couldn't have heard right. It couldn't have been him...could it?

"Wh-wheeljack?" She breathed, "He...he's here?"

"Yes," Ratchet confirmed, pulling the lever to activate the bridge "He made quite the entrance."

Behind her, the emerald-green portal glowed to life. She stepped back, for a moment considering driving out of base. The Wrecker didn't get a chance to decide as five figures came through the Ground Bridge. Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and of course Wheeljack.

The white, red and green mech was the last through, clutching his arm as he looked around the familiar base. His optics finally fell on the gold and silver femme before him. Halo shifted nervously at sensing her old friend there, more worried than relieved.

He slowly approached her, "Haley?"

She wanted to smile, but was too in shock, "I...I have to go..."

No one had the chance to stop her as she transformed and zoomed off down the hallway, most likely to her room.

"NO DRIVING INDOORS!" Ratchet yelled after the femme.

But she'd already disappeared.

There was an awkward silence that loomed after.

"Well," Bulkhead began, "Wasn't expecting that..."

Wheeljack sighed, "I was."

\--

Halo didn't go back to her room straight away. She still had to do some minor adjustments on her ship, _The Angel_. It was mostly intact, but still had a breech in the fuel line after being shot down upon her arrival.

As she entered the large bunker room they were using as a garage, she sensed a familiar presence: Wheeljack's ship, _The Jackhammer._ Fowler's men must've brought it into the base. A slight smile came across her face as she remembered the different times she'd managed to sneak aboard the ship.

She slowly walked over to it. The door was open, so she figured Jackie wouldn't mind if she looked around a little.

The inside was what could be expected of a Wrecker's ship: Littered with empty cubes and reeking of refined energon. But it wasn't a bad smell.

Her helm lifted slightly as she heard footsteps approach.

"Halo," Wheeljack said solemnly, "Are...Are you-"

"I'm fine, Jackie," She interrupted, turning back to face him.

Even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell that he was worried.

He sighed, "You haven't told them yet. Have you?"

It seemed more like a statement than a question.

Halo shook her helm, "No. And they don't need to find out, especially Bulkhead."

The Wrecker scowled, "He needs to know more than anyone. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have gone missing."

"Wheeljack," She said warningly.

"Fine. I won't say anything," He grumbled, "It was difficult after you were gone, Haley. For all of us."

She scoffed, "Even Seaspray? Wish I could see him again, just to show how wrong he was about me."

The older Wrecker's shoulders fell slightly, "Right."

"How many of the old crew are still 'Con-crushing?" She asked eagerly.

"Far as I know? Just the three Wreckers on this marble," He responded bitterly.

It was difficult for Halo knowing that most of the people who raised her were now scattered to the galaxies...or worse. But it was war. There wasn't much she could do about it.

"I probably should've asked this before instead of running away," She began, "But, what brought you back to Earth?"

He sighed, "Well..."

As he was finding a way to explain, a transmission broke through the _Jackhammer's_ mainframe. Both Wreckers turned to the origin of the noise as an unfamiliar voice began speaking.

"Wheeljack, I know you can hear me," The voice said confidently, anger lacing his tone, "You and I have unfinished business. Meet me at these coordinates and we'll settle this...if you have the spark, that is."

Halo tilted her helm. Who was this guy? Obviously some enemy of Wheeljack's but she strangely recognised the voice.

"Dreadwing..." The mech sneered, pressing the reciever button, "I'll meet you there, 'Con. Just to watch you fry."

Wheeljack cut off the com-link and downloaded the coordinates. All the while, Halo stood there in confusion.

"Um, who was that?" She demanded, "And why are you meeting him?"

The mech barely turned to her as he prepared the ship for launch, "You don't need to worry about him. He ain't gonna be around for much longer. You may wanna clearout of here before take-off."

"Or, I may wanna go with," She stated, placing her hands on her hips, "I'm guessing that guy's a 'Con. And you're nuts if you think I'm letting you go in there alone."

"Haley, this isn't a game," He warned her, "Dreadwing's dangerous-"

" _I'm_ dangerous."

Wheeljack turned back tot her, wanted to order her off of his ship and to stay at base, where it was safe. But that hadn't worked all those orns ago.

He folded his arms and straightened his back, "Halo Jyn, I'm ordering you as a Wrecker to get off of my ship. Right now."

The femme Autobot stood in shock for a second, but her expression quickly morphed into something of silent anger. She balled her servos into fists and marched back in the direction she'd come from.

"If you're not back in two hours, I'm telling Optimus," She threatened.

"Make it three," Wheeljack bargained.

She briefly turned at the door, "One and a half."

\--

The sombre navy-blue Decepticon waited patiently in the darkened forest. He was almost sure that the Wrecker was far too prideful to turn down his offer of a rematch.

Eventually, heavy footsteps came from behindhim. Surely enough, Dreadwing turned back to see Wheeljack standing there, barely showing any sign of his earlier wounds.

"I wasn't certain you'd come," Dreadwing glared.

Wheeljack simply shrugged, "I don't like unfinished business."

The blue mech scowled, "Neither do I. And neither did my family."

"You still angry about that?" Wheeljack asked, not breaking his focus, "I'll tell you what I told your brother: It wasn't me."

"And I will tell you what even Prime knows: You cannot trust the word of a Wrecker."

The two stood there for a split second. The way they glared at one another seemed to replicate a duel stand-off, like from Earth cowboy movies. The Decepticon was the first to act, throwing a star-like grenade at the Autobot, who in turn lobbed his.

Both grenades collided halfway, causing a cloud of fire and smoke between them. Recognising his window, Wheeljack ran through the flames, drawing both swords. Dreadwing managed to dodge the mech just before he hit.

When the Wrecker looked back up, the 'Con had already began to run. His mask slid over his face as he began to run after the coward.

"You ain't getting away that easy, 'Con!" He yelled after him.

Not far away, Dreadwing grinned to himself, drawing a detonator as he ran. Multiple red lights began to flash ahead. And the Wrecker was too focused on fighting to see them.

Just as planned.

\--

"And then _he_ has the bearings to tell _me_ to get off his ship!" Halo complained, "Like I'd be a burden if I got involved in the fight."

The two were currently stood in the energon supply room, Halo leaning against the wall as she vented to Bee. The each held a cube of energon, but only drank it between pauses in the conversation.

Bee shrugged, _"The Wreckers were protective of you, right? I get why he wouldn't let you go."_

She scoffed, "You're taking his side?"

 _"No, no,"_ Bee quickly clarified, _"I just...I think you..."_ He finally gave up, _"Look, people in your life just don't want you to get hurt, okay?"_

The archer turned away, "I didn't train for all these orns just for Wheeljack to come back and think I couldn't handle a simple mission."

Bumblebee stopped, looking over to her, _"Hey, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. But I gotta ask, did something happen with you two?"_

She ignored the question, instead continuing to drink her energon. The scout knew there was something she wasn't telling him - what else was new?

Halo paused as something interrupted her thoughts. A message. Specifically a message from Wheeljack. She placed on digit to the side of her helm to access the voice recording.

"Hey, kid. Turns out back-up might've not been such a bad idea after all. You probably won't find me before this thing goes sky-high, so I guess this is goodbye. I'll see ya on the other side - just not too soon, okay?"

Halo's mouth hung open as she contemplated what Jackie had just said. _No way_ could he of all 'bots be in trouble. This was Wheeljack, after all. But he also wasn't the type to joke around. Whoever this Dreadwing guy was, he must've somehow been able to capture him.

"I gotta go," She said, dropping her cube of energon and sprinting for the door.

Of course Bumblebee followed after her, having overheard the message. He followed her into the hangar.

 _"Wait! What did he mean?"_ Bee asked.

"No time to explain," She replied, sealing up the outer parts of the Angel that needed fixing.

She could feel the welding work would be rough, but there was no time to spend cautiously fixing it. Bee ran up to her, still concerned.

 _"That was Wheeljack, right?"_ She nodded, _"Did he go to face Dreadwing alone?"_ Again, she nodded, _"That's it, I'm telling Optimus."_ "No!" Halo said, quickly grabbing onto the mech's shoulder before he could leave, "First of all, there isn't enough time to get Optimus and round up the team. Jackie was talking about a bomb."

She cut off mid-point and ran onto the ship. Once again, Bee sighed and followed her on. Halo frantically turned on the ship's locator, scanning for the direction the Jackhammer went in.

The scout tilted his helm, _"How are you finding his ship? I thought it was sheilded."_ She shrugged, "I put a tracking device on it earlier unique to the Angel's locator system. It installs the coordinates and supplies them to me. And it sounds like he's not too far."

 _"Uh, that's in Oregon. As in a whole different state,"_ He corrected.

"With this ship, I can get there in seven minutes - ten max," She sat down in the captain's seat and activated the engine, then turning to him, "If you're not coming, you might want to go before take-off."

 _"And let you go in there alone?"_ Bee questioned, taking the passenger seat beside her, _"You helped me get back my alt mode. I'm helping you get back Wheeljack."_ She smiled, "Okay then. Buckle up." He did, "Preparing to go in three...two..."

 **Seven to ten minutes later . . .**

Wheeljack refused to glance up at the new Decepticon, instead staring down at the floor. His arms were chained to the metal shipment container behind him and a complicated maze of a bomb was strapped to his chassis.

The blue Cybertronian only glared at the situation, "I hope you've said your goodbyes to your Wrecker friend."

"Friends," Wheeljack muttered.

"What?" Dreadwing demanded, "Speak up so I can hear your final words."

Jackie shrugged, "It's a plural."

"More than one?" He scowled, "You Autobots continue to multiply by the day. Praytell, what is the name of this one?"

The white Autobot kept his mouth shut, knowing the risk of Dreadwing targeting Halo in future battles. Realising the Wrecker wouldn't talk, the blue mech just shrugged.

"Very well. I'll simply find them on the system files once I dispose of you. Speaking of which..."

Dreadwing, growing weary of their conversation, retrieved the detonator. A momentary wave of fear crossed Jackie's face before he realised the mech was too proud to die with an Autobot. Instead, he changed the timer on the detonator from twenty minutes to ten.

As the Decepticon continued to reset the detonator, Jackie looked past him to see a strangely familiar streak of gold. His optics widened upon realising who was there.

"You Autobots will stand no chance against Lord Megatron's army," Dreadwing growled, "Even this new ally of yours will know his wrath."

Wheeljack couldn't help smirking through the fear, "Yeah, the 'Bot I'm talking about ain't exactly on the record."

Dreadwing glanced up at him suspiciously, "Is he a soldier?"

"Well, firstly," Wheeljack began, " _She_ was raised by us Wreckers so of course she's a warrior. Second, she cares about her family, even though sometimes she don't admit it."

"And her name?" The blue mech demanded, leaning in closer threateningly.

Jackie smirked, "That's after the third thing ya should probably know about her."

"Which is what, exactly?"

Dreadwing tensed at feeling a tap on his shoulder. Turning back, he was surprised to see a gold femme standing there, one he half-recognised. She smirked, aiming an arrow directly at his face.

"Third," She snapped, "If you mess with my family, you're going straight to Pit."

The blue mech turned to run, but was surprised by yet another Autobot pointing a gun at him: The black and yellow scout that he knew had killed his brother.

"Well, Autobots," He grinned knowingly, "I hope you all enjoy the Allspark."

Dreadwing transformed into his alt-mode, one identical to that of his twin's. Knowing their chance of stopping the bomb would be lost if he left, Halo was quick to react. She dropped her weapon and leapt onto the aircraft as he took off directly upwards.

 _"Halo!"_ Bee yelled after her.

"Hey, Bumblebee, right?" Wheeljack called to the scout, who turned back at hearing his name, "Mind getting me out of this so I can shut this thing down?"

Bee nodded, rushing over to the Wrecker to untangle him from the chains. Jackie knew he had to get Halo out of there as soon as possible to avoid something she'd been sheilded from for millennia...

Meanwhile in the sky, Halo hung on for her life as the Decepticon soared higher. Even more so as he began spinning and accelerating in an attempt to shake her off.

"Let go!" He ordered.

She continued to hold on as the air resistance clashed against her frame, "Didn't plan on dying today!"

"Then you shouldn't have come to rescue your friend," Dreadwing said, finally turning back around.

They flew back to the shipment yard, though the landing was a little tougher on Halo as Dreadwing transformed. It sent her crashing against a nearby container.

Halo struggled to stand, finally able to breathe, "That's what you do when you have family. More important, when you don't want your family to _die_."

Dreadwing also stood up, "I know, child. Family is the very reason why I remain with the Decepticons. How old are you?"

"Twenty-one orns," She responded.

"Then you weren't there for the Wreckers' crime against my brethren," He scowled, "They slaughtered my parents. Neutrals. Whose only crime was for my brother and I to be their sons. My carrier was expecting another child at the time. How might you condone three innocent deaths at the servos of the Autobots?"

Halo shook her helm in sympathy, "I can't."

How could the Wreckers have done such a horrible thing? Neutrals were safe - that was the rule for all Autobots. Killing those who had no part in the war was the Decepticons' way, not theirs. He must've been lying.

Dreadwing began making his way towards her. She backed up, only then realising she'd dropped her weapon back at the other side of the facility. Not knowing what else to do, she balled her servos into fists and hoped for the best.

As he grew dangerously close, she threw a strong punch. The 'Con easily caught it mid-way. He used it to lift her from the ground, watching emotionlessly as she struggled in his grasp.

"The Autobots have slain the people I cared for with no way for them to defend themselves," He snarled, drawing a blade as his weapon of choice, "Now, I will return the..."

The blue 'Con's gaze lowered to the shining pendant around her neck. His red optics flickered, as if unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

He lowered her down to the ground, still holding onto her wrist. Confused, Halo tried to back away.

"The necklace," He said in a severe tone, "Where did you get it?"

"I-I was found with it," She told him, unsure as to why he was asking.

"You said you are presently twenty-one orns old," Dreadwing began to put together the puzzle pieces set out before him, "The ordeal I described happened around that time ago. Were you found in Prax? As a newborn? Little to no recollection of your parents?"

"How do you know all that?" She said, more demanding in her tone.

He released her arm, "Feel the inside of the necklace."

Too curious and scared to do anything else, she did. Her digits ran along the inner side of the ring necklace. It was an engraving. She'd never known it was there before, but could vaguely pick out what it read.

"Jyn, I am now and forever yours. Love, Duros." She murmured, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Jyn was my Carrier and Duros my Sire," Dreadwing informed her, "What you wear as a necklace was his bonding gift to her."

Halo's mouth hung open. She tried to step backwards, but there was no where to go. Her entire frame began to shake with fear and confusion as tears began to stir within her helm. She hadn't wanted to cry for orns. Not since Tyger Pax.

She sank to the floor, not knowing what else she could do.

 **Meanwhile, not far away . . .**

Bumblebee tried to hold Wheeljack back as he moved towards the docks. The attempts to deactivate the bomb had proved unsuccessful and the Wrecker knew he couldn't endanger the lives around him. Still, the scout latched onto his arm in protest.

"Bumblebee, let me go," Wheeljack ordered, "The blast range'll be reduced in the water."

 _"Not for you," _Bee stated.

Jackie rolled his optics and continued to drag himself towards the bay, "Why do you care what happens to me? You should be helping Halo."

 _"I'm helping Halo by not standing by while you sacrifice yourself,"_ The yellow scout told him, _"She doesn't forgive herself for letting the people she cares about get hurt. So, I'm not letting you get hurt."_

Wheeljack finally stopped, sighing, "Look, there's a lot she doesn't know. And if she finds it out...it'll be better off that I'm not here."

Bumblebee stood in front of the Wrecker, arms folded, _"She isn't a little kid anymore. Whatever it is you haven't told her, she can take."_

"Don't be too sure about that, Bee."

The both looked to the direction they'd just come from to see the gold femme there, marching over to them. She'd managed to retrieve her staff.

"Haley, back up," Wheeljack warned, "I don't want you to get caught in all this."

It's a little late for that, She thought but didn't say.

She stopped a little way away from him, "Green wire."

Bumblebee tilted his helm at her, _"What does that mean?"_

"It means cut the green wire in the next thirty seconds and we can all get out of here alive," She told him in an emotionless voice.

"You sure?" Jackie asked.

"Pretty sure," She stated.

Trusting her word, the mech reluctantly pulled out the green wire. He shut his optics tightly as he did so. No bomb-sound came. Just the beeping to alert them that the detonation had been deactivated.

 _"Thank Primus,"_ Bee exhaled, being the first and only one to celebrate.

Wheeljack stared at Haley in concern, noticing her silence, "You okay, Halo Jyn?"

She shook her helm, turning around and walking back towards where she'd left the Angel, "We can talk about it at base. Might have to call Agent Fowler for clean-up."

Bumblebee gladly followed after her, relieved that nothing had blown up. Wheeljack, however, wasn't as oblivious to the tone Halo had used.

Something told him clean-up wouldn't cut it this time around.

 **To be continued in the next chapter!**

 **Thanks if you've stuck around for this long. Sorry if you hate me for putting off this chapter. I just had major writer's block for this one story and didn't know how to alter it to meet the TFP continuity.**

 **Also thanks to all the comments who encouraged me to continue with this thing.**

 **Hope ya enjoyed this chapter!** **It might be complete scrap, but the important thing is that I tried.**

 **'Til All Are One**

 **GreyroseLegacy**


	6. Chapter six: Truth Hurts

**And it didn't take a year to update this time.**

 **Enjoy, peeps**

 **Chapter Six: Truth Hurts**

Halo paced up and down the training room. The two other Wreckers stood before her, both staring down at the ground in shame. The flight back with Bee and Wheeljack had been dead-silent, and she'd kicked the scout out of the room before beginning this conversation.

She finally stopped pacing in front of them. Her visor gleamed against the light.

"Is it true?" She asked, half-angry half-scared in her tone.

Bulkhead glanced at Wheeljack, who sighed in response.

"Haley-" He began.

"Nope. No 'Haley', just an answer," She cut him off. Her servo wrapped around the necklace, "Dreadwing said this was his parents'. You said you found this with me twenty-one orns ago. I checked the record and he wasn't lying about his carrier and sire being murdered around that time. So I have one question left: Is. It. True?"

Silence took over for a split second. Bulkhead continued to stare at the floor to avert seeing her expression.

"It's true," Wheeljack stated bluntly.

Her shoulders sank, "You didn't 'find' me in Prax. You stole me."

The white mech turned to the green mech beside him, "Bulk? You wanna take this one?"

Bulkhead sighed, hesitant to tell the story they'd tried so long to shield her from, "Look. Duros...he wasn't a good guy. He claimed to be neutral, but killed any Autobot soldiers he came across and let 'Cons go free. One day, he got one of ours. So Jackie and me went on a revenge mission."

Halo turned away, gritting her denta, "And I guess my carrier was just as bad for you to kill her?"

Jackie shook his helm, "No. But after we were done with Duros, we heard Jyn upstairs. She'd just had you, was in a lot of pain and the sparkmate empathy bond after we killed him was what sent her over the edge. You...you were in her arms when she died."

Words really couldn't describe how infuriated the young Wrecker was. Every new bit of information they gave seemed worse than the last.

"We knew we couldn't leave you there for the 'Cons, so we..." Bulkhead trailed off.

"You took me and pretended I was abandoned," She realised, "That's why I was never on the record? Because they'd find out who my parents were?"

Both mechs nodded.

The femme scoffed in disbelief, "Did you ever plan on telling me?"

"When you were old enough to know," Wheeljack answered, "We...thought it was best for you."

"What was _best_? Are you fragging kidding me?" She repeated, taking a threatening step forward, "You killed my sire and carrier, kidnapped me, never bothered to confess who I was, _lied_ to me my entire life. And you think that was what was best for me?"

Bulkhead sighed, "I...I'm sorry, Haley."

That was it? A lifetime of lies and that was all they had to say.

She shook her helm, turning away from them, and began to storm towards the exit. What more was there to know?

Wheeljack and Bulkhead watched as she left. The green mech was about to follow after her before feeling his friend's servo on his shoulder. Jackie shook his helm. He knew they were in no position to question her. She'd probably only yell if they tried. And who could blame the kid?

\--

"Soundwave, pull up all files on the Autobot femme known as Halo Jyn," Dreadwing ordered.

The silent mech followed his command, searching across all databases available for the name, however, no references appeared. Of course, he didn't know her by her wartime name: Nightbreak. After all, she'd done her best to stay off the grid.

Dreadwing scowled, but thanked Soundwave for trying, "Very well. Try the two Wreckers upon this planet: Wheeljack and Bulkhead."

Now _those_ two got a lot of results. Both known in their respective fields. A brawler with considerable strength, and a tactician with a love for blowing stuff up.

The Decepticon SIC couldn't help gritting his denta as he read more and more about them. These were the ones who his sister considered family? It was almost laughable, that is if he was the type to laugh.

"Thank you, Soundwave," He said appreciatively to the mech.

The files disappeared from the Con's face/screen, replaced with a question mark. Dreadwing seemed to comprehend what he meant.

"Why must I know?" He tried to come up with a non-incriminating answer, "The Wreckers...they are the ones who murdered my family. I must avenge my parents for what the Autobot betrayal did to them."

Soundwave still didn't speak, but Dreadwing seemed to understand what he meant.

"Of course, I am forever loyal to Lord Megatron," He corrected himself.

He just hoped he could convince his newly-discovered sister to be as dedicated to the Decepticon cause as he was.

\--

 _"You okay, Halo?"_ Bee asked, looking at her in concern.

For the past ten minutes the two had been walking around the forest. She'd barely said anything and kept fiddling with the pendant around her neck. But the Wrecker seemed to quickly click back into reality as her friend asked the question.

"Uh, yeah," She lied, "Why'd you ask?"

 _"Because you asked me to come on this scouting mission with you_ _and so far, the conversation has been 'hey' and 'fine',"_ The scout challenged, _"I thought we agreed to no more lying."_

She sighed, "Yeah, well a lot's changed since I made that promise."

 _"Like what?"_

Halo didn't respond, instead shaking her helm and trying to walk a little way ahead of him. Bee glanced after her.

 _"Is it about Wheeljack?"_ He asked.

She stopped in her tracks.

Bumblebee tilted his helm, _"You've been acting weird ever since he got here. First running off, then going on a mission without Optimus' approval, and now this."_

The gold femme turned back to him, servos on her hips.

She may not have been able to see, but he could almost feel her glaring at him, "First off: I don't ask Optimus' permission to help out my friends. Second: I just wanted someone to have the decency to let me know Wheeljack would be arriving. Third: I don't need to tell you everything about my life, Bumblebee!"

The yellow scout took a small step closer to her, _"I'm not asking for a life story. Just that you don't lie to me again."_

"I'm not lying!" Halo yelled, also walking closer to him, "I'm fine. I'm TOTALLY fine! About Wheeljack being here, about all the lies he's told me, about the fact that my brother is a Decepticon, about Bulkhead and Jackie murdering my parents before I could even learn my own name. I am FINE with ALL of that!"

Bee stared at her. Even she seemed shocked at herself. Of course she got angry, but she felt her face blush in embarassment that he'd seen her that way.

"Bumblebee, I..." She began, but quickly stopped.

The femme just sighed. Her shoulders sank as she turned and walked away from him. He tilted his helm at her, trying to remember everything she'd just said and check if he'd heard correctly. The scout had so many questions. But by the look of the situation, so did she.

The black and yellow mech breathed in and out deeply before finding it in himself to walk over to her. She leaned against the trunk of a tree, clutching her helm.

 _"So..."_ He didn't look at her out of awkwardness, _"That's what you guys were talking about after I left the room."_

She shrugged, "More or less. It's complicated."

He nodded, _"Well, we're out here in the middle of nowhere. I think we have time."_

Halo shook her helm, "My carrier and sire are dead, Bulkhead and Wheeljack are responsible, and Dreadwing is my older brother." She gestured to the necklace, "This was his parents'."

Bee didn't say anything. There was a lot he thought of saying, but all would've been of little help to the situation.

 _"They've been lying this whole time?"_ She nodded, _"Whoa."_

"Yeah," Halo agreed dully.

He looked at her with sympathetic optics, _"Do you want to...talk about it? I mean you don't have to, but-" _

"No, I..." She seemed to relax a little, "...I think I should. There's a lot of scrap I can ignore. This isn't one of them."

\--

Bulkhead paced up and down the hangar as Wheeljack continued to lean against the wall.

"We messed up big-time, didn't we?" The green mech began.

"Mm-hm," Wheeljack murmured, staring directly ahead at the wall.

He sighed, "She's gonna hate us forever, isn't she?"

"Sure is," His friend responded.

Bulkhead turned to him, furrowing his optics ridges in confusion, "Why aren't you being more 'you' about this?"

Wheeljack didn't shift his focus, "Bulk, we've known this was coming for a long time."

"There's gotta be something we can do," The big mech said optimistically, "Halo can't go on hating us forever."

"She can. I raised her," Jackie stated.

Bulkhead walked over to the mech, leaning against the wall beside him. They stood in silence for a good second before the green mech sunk to the floor in defeat. Wheeljack followed.

The Wreckers didn't look at each other. They knew full well they'd screwed up. The white mech sighed and turned to his friend.

"Look," He began sternly, "I hate us too right now. We were young and stupid and angry. And what came from that? An orphaned sparkling. If I were in her position right now, I definitely wouldn't forgive us." He noticed the mech next to him starting to get more upset, "But I'm not her. Who knows what'll happen?"

There was a pause. Both of them sat there, just thinking to themselves about Halo.

Bulkhead tried to convince himself that she cared too much to hate them forever. After everything they'd been through before he'd left, caring about her for that long, there was no way she could just ignore their history.

Wheeljack tried to do the same, but didn't so much share in Bulkhead's enthusiasm. He'd told Halo not to take scrap from anybot, himself included. She'd learnt from him how to fight, but he'd always regretted not teaching her well enough.

Needless to say, there was a lot of self-reflection going around.

"Would you change it?" Bulkhead finally broke the silence, glancing at Jackie, "If you could, would you erase what happened?"

"No." His answer was immediate and definite, "'Course I wish Jyn didn't have to die. But Duros was bad news. Can't say that I could let Halo grow up with him as her sire. And we'd lose the one good thing that came from the situation: Her."

 **A few** **hours later . . .**

The ground bridge hummed to life, allowing two figures to walk through. They seemed to be standing a closer-than-normal distance apart and Halo was actually smiling - in a non-sarcastic way. Ratchet folded his arms and turned to the two, awaiting an obvious answer as Raf and Miko hurried down the stairs.

"And where have you two been?" He demanded, "Standard reconaissance missions may take one to two hours at maximum."

Bee shrugged, _"Sorry, Ratch. We just...got to talking."_

The doctor raised an optic ridge at them, "What about?"

 _"Er...about..."_

"About all the stuff I've missed since you guys arrived on Earth," Halo was quick to interject, "I can't believe I wasn't here for the _terracon_ battle."

Truth be told, she'd learnt the majority of that on her first race with Bee. But how could she tell them all the stuff she'd learnt and expect them to still treat her the same way? That wasn't how distrust worked.

The grumpy medic clearly didn't believe them, but chose to let it go, "Very well. By the way, Wheeljack left earlier."

Halo's smile was quick to falter, "Wait, 'left'? What do you mean 'left'?"

"I mean 'gone', 'drove away', etcetera," Ratchet returned to his computer, "He's decided to explore the Earth before establishing a base here. I'm surprised he's stayed put for this long."

Miko shrugged, "That's kinda rude, TBH."

"I just..." Her shoulders sank, "Of all the fragging times to go."

"Halo Jyn!" He grew defensive, "The children don't need to hear such language!"

He'd understand if he knew what was going on. Maybe. It was difficult to tell with Ratchet.

Giving up on the conversation, Halo groaned in frustration and stormed off to her room. Bee watched as she disappeared around the corner. It was unnerving when she did that. Normally, it'd only be because someone had annoyed her. But he knew this was a whole lot different.

Meanwhile, Halo slammed shut the door to her quarters. She felt like she needed to hit something, or yell at someone. Just any way to let out her anger.

Wheeljack had left in the middle of an arguement. And she couldn't hate him enough for it. It was like adding scraplets to a bleeding wound. A betrayal. A coward's way out of confrontation.

And there was absolutely no way to stop him, short of tracking down every energon signal on the planet.

She sighed and collapsed face-first onto her berth. This sucked. As in, it _really_ sucked. She'd been lied to by the ones she trusted all her life and that was a major shot to her pride.

How was it possible to trust anyone if she couldn't trust the ones who raised her? She felt lost for an answer.

And that sucked too.

 **I know, I know. It's a little shorter than what I normally write.**

 **I didn't want to drag this chapter out too much. But I feel like that ship has sailed.**

 **Sorry if this story's getting confusing, but I promise there it something relating to a plot that I have in store for it.**

 **As always, thanks for reading what I write at 2am.**

 **'Til All Are One,**

 **GreyroseLegacy**


End file.
